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LIBRARY 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


THE 


Resources  and  Attractions 


OK 


OJTAH 


AS  THEY  EXIST  TQDAY. 


SET  FORTH  FOR  THE  ENQUIRING 
PUBLIC,  ESPECIALLY  FOR 


THE  •  MIDWINTER  •  FAIR, 

CALIFORNIA,  1894. 


COMPILED  BY  H.  L.  A.  CULMER 
# 

FOP  THE 

i 

(T)idu;iijter  pair 
apd  ttye  Salt  Cal^e  Ql?amber  of 


PRINTED  BY 

GEO.    Q.    CANNON   &  SONS    CO. 

Salt  Lake  City, 

1894. 


Bancroft  Library 


UTAH- 


JTAH  occupies  an  important  position  in  the  trans-Missis- 
3  sippi  group  of  states.  It  adjoins  Colorado,  Nevada, 
Arizona  and  Idaho.  It  is  275  miles  in  width  and  345 
miles  in  length.  The  splendid  Wasatch  Mountains  sweep  down 
its  center  and  the  Uintah  Mountains  cross  its  upper  half.  It  is 
a  region  of  snow-clad  mountains  and  broad  beautiful  valleys.  A 
hundred  streams  flow  from  the  mountains  and  meander  through 
the  vales.  It  has  a  number  of  fresh  water  lakes  of  considerable 
size,  and  that  wonderful  inland  sea,  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  is  a  far- 
famed  feature  of  its  topography.  Within  the  border  lines  of  the 
Territory  there  exists  a  most  remarkable  variety  of  countr)r,  con- 
taining many  unique  features,  and  some  that  have  made  it  world- 
famous,  such  as  the  grand  canyons  of  the  Colorado,  and  other  wild 
scenery  of  the  southern  portion  of  the  Territory.  Lying  between 
lofty  mountain  ranges  are  beautiful  and  verdant  valleys,  capable  of 
sustaining  a  very  large  population,  and  affording  a  variety  of 
scenery  that  makes  the  whole  Territory  singularly  attractive  and 
a  charming  place  of  abode.  A  greater  portion  of  its  area  consti- 
tutes the  eastern  and  fruitful  portion  of  the  Great  Basin, — that 
strange  region  whose  waters  are  lost  in  the  earth  and  never  reach 
the  ocean.  The  eastern  half  of  the  Territory  is  drained  into  the 
Colorado.  The  population  of  Utah  is  about  235,000;  its  area  is 
87,730  square  miles.  The  mountain  chains  usually  run  north 
and  south,  and  nearly  all  of  them  contain  zones  of  precious 
metals.  Probably  no  other  state  in  the  Union  contains  within 
its  borders  such  a  variety  of  resources.  No  other  state  could  be 
so  nearly  independent  and  self-supplying.  If  intercourse  were 
totally  cut  off  from  the  outside,  there  are  very  few  of  the  neces- 
saries or  luxuries  of  life  that  could  not  be  produced  within  the 
boundaries  of  Utah  in  abundance.  It  is  an  empire  within  itself. 
This  fact  will  be  easily  realized  by  a  study  of  the  endless  variety 
of  products  described  in  this  account.  Although  it  is  less  than 
fifty  years  since  settlement  began  in  this  Territory,  the  extraordi- 
nary scope  of  our  possibilities  in  mining,  agriculture,  industry, 
in  ranch  and  range  production,  and  internal  commerce  already 
developed,  proves  this  beyond  question;  and  much  of  what  is 
now  imported  might  easily  be  produced  in  our  midst,  should  it 
become  necessary.  With  every  variety  of  climate,  which  is 
generally  salubrious  and  agreeable,  there  are  the  valleys  for  the 
farmer,  the  gardener  and  the  fruit  grower;  the  foot  hill  slopes 


4  RESOURCES  AND  ATTRACTIONS  OF  UTAH. 

and  terraces  for  the  sheep  raiser;  the  mountains  for  the  miner; 
the  scenery  and  hunting  among  the  mountains,  the  water  fowl 
and  grouse  of  the  prairies  for  the  pleasure  seeker;  the  thermal 
springs,  the  Salt  Lake  air  and  bathing  for  the  invalid,  and  plenty  of 
opportunity  and  occupation  for  the  man  of  business  and  enterprise. 


CIiIJVIATE    RS    R 

THE  wonderful  climate  of  Utah  has  received  the  attention  of 
some  of  the  best  writers  on  the  subject  in  America,  and  in  many 
very  important  features  it  has  been  acknowledged  to  approach 
the  "ideal  climate," — a  treasure  that  has  been  sought  as  eagerly 
as  any  boon  which  the  world  offers.  To  be  thorough  in  record- 
ing, however  briefly,  extracts  from  the  leading  articles  that  have 
been  published  on  the  climate  of  Utah  Territory,  we  must  refer 
to  the  testimony  of  Father  Silvestre  Velez  de  Escalante,  the  first 
white  man  to  set  foot  on  Utah's  soil,  who  started  from  Santa  Fe 
and  reached  Utah  Lake  on  the  23rd  of  September,  1776,  and 
thereupon  inscribed  upon  his  tablets,  that  "Here  the  climate  is 
so  delicious,  the  air  so  balmy,  that  it  is  a  pleasure  to  breathe  it 
by  day  and  by  night." 

From  the  voluminous  writings  of  such  eminent  resident 
physicians  and  climatic  students  as  Drs.  Standart,  Hamilton, 
Bascom  and  Niles,  and  other  writers,  we  gather  these  undis- 
puted facts  regarding  the  air  we  breathe  and  the  health-giving 
qualities  of  the  climate  of  this  Territory. 

We  have  in  Utah,  or  more  particularly,  in  the  Great  Salt  Lake 
Basin,  a  climate  peculiarly  local,  and  of  a  quality  conducive  to 
good  health  and  long  life.  It  possesses  the  dryness,  elevation 
and  tonicity  of  the  air  essential  to  the  comfort  and  enjoyment  of 
the  hale  as  well  as  to  the  restoration  of  the  invalid. 

Added  to  the  other  manifold  blessings  enjoyed  by  those  who 
dwell  amid  the  valleys  and  mountains  of  Utah,  they  can,  when  ID 
health,  work  harder  and  accomplish  more  with  less  wear  and  tear 
than  anywhere  else  on  the  habitable  globe.  With  a  fair  endow- 
ment of  brains  and  working  capital  they  can  think  faster;  with 
brav/ny  arms  and  inherent  energy  they  can  expend  more  force 
with  less  fatigue,  and  render  by  sundown  a  day  and  a  quarter  for 
a  day's  work  without  unusual  effort.  They  can  eat  and  assimi- 
late more,  and  sleep  better  in  Utah  than  the  average  man  else- 
where; in  brief,  under  the  stimulus  of  local  conditions  of  climate, 
they  can  return — other  things  being  equal — in  thought  and  force, 
more  and  better  work  than  the  average  of  mankind  in  less 
fortunately  endowed  localities.  The  property  of  exhilaration, 
born  of  purity  and  rarit}7  of  our  atmosphere,  is  an  ever  constant 
factor.  Coming  here  from  other  localities,  there  is  an  increase  in 
the  force  of  circulation  and  in  the  normal  oxidation  of  the  blood, 


CLIMATE   AS   A   RESOURCE.  5 

together  with  a  stimulus  of  the  respiratory  sense,  and  general 
improvement  in  the  body  nutrition.  The  summer  heat  is  not 
debilitating.  The  dry,  pure  air  and  the  cool  invigorating  nights 
enable  us  to  maintain  health  throughout  the  year.  Indeed,  as  a 
people  we  can  retire  to  refreshing  sleep  to  waken  with  renewed 
life  and  energy  to  begin  another  day  prepared  for  the  grand 
struggle  of  life.  The  people  of  Utah  are  as  robust  and  long-lived 
as  any  in  the  world.  ^^ 

No  region  excels  ours  in  natural  advantages  for  the  well-be- 
ing of  its  citizens.  We  have  a  great  inland  sea  rolling  at  our 
feet  possessing  inherent  virtues  in  its  waters  essentially  tonic  and 
invigorating  to  the  general  system.  We  have  theimal  springs  of 
varying  degrees  of  temperature  and  of  varied  properties;  we  have 
the  sunshine  peculiar  to  a  dry  climate  and  we  thrive  upon  it;  the 
sunshine  coming  to  us  through  a  clear  pure  atmosphere  reflects 
cheerfulness  and  makes  the  world  smile.  We  live  in  nature's 
sanitarium  subjected  to  healthful  influences  and  dwelling  under  a 
cloudless  sky.  Our  most  favorable  climatic  properties  are  dry- 
ness,  coolness  and  equability.  Dr.  Standart  claimed  our  ideal 
climate  to  consist  in  the  varied  topography  of  this  inter-mountain 
region.  The  cool  fresh  air  of  the  mountains,  light  and  pure;  the 
peculiar  local  atmosphere  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake;  the  distance 
inland;  the  sheltered  situation  of  our  valleys;  their  elevation 
above  sea  level,  all  combining  to  create  what  many  travelers  have 
found  here,  "the  most  unique  and  wonderful  climate  on  the  face 
of  the  globe." 

We  have  no  cyclones,  blizzards,  sand-storms,  tornadoes  nor 
earthquakes.  The  velocity  of  the  wind  is  less  in  winter  than  in 
summer.  This  is  true  of  no  other  place  in  the  United  States, 
except  San  Francisco.  The  average  velocity  of  the  winds  per 
hour  is  5.2  miles.  In  Boston  it  is  9.2;  in  Sandusky,  Ohio,  12.8; 
St.  Louis,  9.8;  Cheyenne,  10.6;  Denver,  6.3;  San  Francisco,  9.3. 
High  winds  are  very  rare,  the  highest  velocity  on  record  in  Salt 
Lake  City  being  but  48  miles  per  hour.  In  many  eastern  cities 
it  reaches  60  and  70  miles  per  hour  quite  frequently.  There  are 
no  damp  winds.  The  relative  humidity  is  48.3  as  against  Los 
Angeles  66,  New  York  68.  Therefore  a  low  temperature  is  not 
uncomfortably  cold  or  penetrating,  and  a  high  temperature  is  not 
oppressive.  Sunstrokes  are  unknown,  malaria  is  extremely  rare, 
and  the  winter  days,  however  cold,  are  invigorating.  The 
highest  temperature  on  record  was  in  August,  1875,  101  degrees, 
the  average  highest  temperature  for  fourteen  years  being  96 
degrees.  But  the  dry  and  absorbent  nature  of  the  air  moderates 
the  effect  of  such  hot  days.  In  autumn,  the  climate  of  Utah  is 
simply  unapproachable  in  all  the  qualities  that  make  weather 
delightful, — clear,  sparkling  and  bracing.  From  September  until 
Christmas  the  sun  shines  perpetually,  and  out-door  exercise  is 
delightful.  The  annual  average  mean  range  of  temperature  is 


6  RESOURCES   AND   ATTRACTIONS   OF   UTAH. 

51.5;  the  average  monthly  range  is  47.5,  and  the  average  daily 
range  is  18.6.  This  means  thai  we  have  winter  and  summer;  the 
seasons  make  their  rounds;  we  have  snow-fall  and  frost,  sleigh- 
ing and  skating  in  winter,  showers  and  blossom-time  in  spring, 
warmth  and  fruitfulness  in  summer,  and  bracing,  open  weather 
in  the  autumn.  This  is  not  a  country  where  the  weather  is  mild 
all  the  year;  we  have  the  changing  seasons,  the  real  summer  and 
the  real  winter,  which  is  desirable.  Professor  Jones  says:  "It  is 
undoubtedly  true  that  a  climate  where  there  is  no  difference 
between  Christmas  and  the  4th  of  July,  where  every  day  is  like 
every  other,  except  for  the  dust,  is  a  first-class  place  to  die  in; 
but  to  live,  we  want  a  climate  that  will  stir  up  our  energies,  that 
will  bring  out  all  our  powers  and  keep  us  alive  and  aggressive, 
without  making  us  suffer  because  of  its  rigor;  this  we  have  in 
Utah."  The  records  show  that  the  extreme  yearly  range  of  our 
temperature  is  oftener  less  than  90  degrees  than  it  is  more  than 
100  degrees.  It  has  exceeded  100  degrees  but  three  times  in 
twenty-four  years.  At  Montreal  the  annual  range  is  140;  New 
York  City,  114  degrees;  St.  Louis,  113  degrees;  Chicago,  132 
degrees;  Denver,  Colorado,  126  degrees. 

But  the  pride  of  our  climate  and  the  feature  in  which  it 
excels  all  others  in  America,  is  its  equability.  There  is 
no  other  region  as  dry  and  as  elevated  as  this  where  the  daily 
range  of  temperature  is  so  small.  Equability  has  been  regarded 
as  belonging  exclusively  to  low  and  moist  localities,  and  variabil- 
ity as  a  distinguishing  attribute  of  all  high  and  very  dry  places. 
The  valleys  of  Utah  range  from  4300  to  6000  feet  in  altitude,  but 
higher  altitudes  are  in  easy  reach  by  ascending  any  one  of  the 
hundreds  of  beautiful  canyons  that  abut  upon  the  valleys.  It  has 
been  clearly  pointed  out  that  bacteria  breeding  disease  exist  in 
the  greatest  number  at  low  altitudes,  and  at  high  elevations  they 
do  not  live.  The  dryness  is  about  the  same  as  Denver,  but  the 
daily  range  of  temperature  is  much  less  than  in  any  other  elevated 
regions,  at  least  in  the  United  States.  It  is  not  the  cold  winter 
time  nor  the  hot  summer-time  that  try  the  health  of  human 
beings,  but  it  is  the  sudden  and  extreme  changes  of  temperature 
that  are  so  hard  to  bear,  and  which  wreck  the  health.  The 
signal  service  stations  have  a  flag  to  be  displayed  when  violent 
and  extreme  changes  of  temperature  are  approaching,  so  that 
people  who  know  the  danger  of  such  extreme  changes,  may  take 
the  necessary  precautions  to  protect  themselves;  but  in  Utah 
this  flag  is  never  used.  It  takes  several  days  for  the  temperature 
to  change  40  degrees,  while  there  are  places  in  the  East  where 
such  a  change  takes  place  in  an  hour  or  two.  There  is  scarcely 
any  dew  in  this  country,  so  that  the  nights  are  as  dry  as  the  days. 
We  have  no  rainy  season,  but  we  have  showers  all  through  the 
summer.  We  have  no  fogs  nor  drizzling  rains,  nor  fierce  and 
cold  winds,  and  on  the  average  315  days  out  of  the  year  are  clear 


watcl]     e  sir\ 
cross   ^e  jreat  Sail  Lake, 
Tnour]taiT\s  4pri  l^eir  ^older^  crowr?; 

seagulls  circle  Yourjd, 
Ttje  jgerj-Ue-  /billows  break, 


And  wtyerj  I    scar;  what's  made  fo 
To  rrjake  t]is  l^eart  ^row 


feel  (l^e    lu5l]'  of  sliarrie's  l]o{ 
Because  ir     soul  is  sad. 


8  RESOURCES  AND  ATTRACTIONS  OF  UTAH. 

and  fair.  The  average  date  of  first  snow  in  the  valleys  is  Nov- 
ember 1st.  It  never  snows  later  than  the  middle  of  April.  The 
first  frost  comes  towards  the  end  of  September,  and  there  is  none 
later  than  April. 

Dr.  Niles  says:  "The  physiological  action  of  the  climate'is 
that  of  a  strong  stimulant  tonic  to  the  whole  constitution,  and 
especially  to  the  nervous  system.  It  is  difficult  for  one  who  has 
never  experienced  the  effects  by  coming  from  a  low  to  a  very 
high  place,  to  understand  the  wonderful  exhilaration  that  follows 
breathing  this  dry,  rarified  air.  Those  in  health  feel  and  enjoy 
the  powerful  tonic — almost  intoxicating — effect,  but  not  to  the 
marked  degree  that  the  invalid  does.  It  seems  to  supply  a 
necessity  in  his  case;  nor  are  the  effects  limited  to  a  temporary 
stimulant,  to  be  followed  by  a  corresponding  depression.  Very 
soon  his  appetite  is  better,  his  digestion  improves,  the  feeling  of 
lassitude  disappears,  exercise  becomes  a  pleasure  and  he  is  able 
to  enjoy  the  out-door  life  to  which  he  is  invited  by  new  scenes, 
sunny  skies  and  bracing  air.  With  the  increased  exercise  there 
is  a  more  rapid  gain  in  weight  and  strength. 

"Dryness,  equability,  plenty  of  sunshine,  absence  of  high 
winds,  and  coolness  are  all  valuable  and  necessary  high-altitude 
climatic  features,  and  no  place  -  should  be  chosen  where  these 
conditions  do  not  exist.  But  it  is  undoubtedly  the  stimulus  of 
the  lessened  atmospheric  pressure  that  exerts  the  most  profound 
influence,  and  more  than  anything  else  it  is  the  adaptation  of 
this  factor  to  the  needs  of  the  patient  that  decides  the  result." 

W.  Everett  Smith  regards  sudden  and  violent  daily  ranges 
in  temperature  and  high  per  cent,  of  relative  humidity  as  the  chief 
atmospheric  conditions  modifying  health  and  therefore  causing 
disease.  The  abundance  of  sunshine  characteristic  of  high  alti- 
tude places,  aside  from  permitting  and  encouraging  much-to-be- 
desired  outdoor  life,  has  a  direct  salutary  effect  upon  the  health 
and  spirits  of  the  invalid. 

Dr.  Thomas  J.  Mays  states:  "It  may  be  truthfully  said  that 
there  is  no  other  element  in  our  environment  which  modifies  the 
bodily  structure  more  palpably  than  mountain  elevation.  This 
influence  pertains  especially  to  the  respiratory  organs,  and  is 
principally,  if  not  entirely,  exerted  by  the  thinness  or  attenua- 
tion of  the  atmosphere  and  by  a  diminution  of  air  pressure  on 
the  outside  of  the  body.  It  is  estimated  that  at  an  elevation  of 
6000  feet  the  air  contains  about  25  per  cent,  less  oxygen  than  it 
does  at  the  seashore,  and  that  the  body  is  relieved  of  nearly  7000 
pounds  of  outside  pressure.  Hence,  ascending  into  a  rarified 
environment  the  pulse  is  accelerated  from  fifteen  to  twenty  beats 
per  minute,  the  respiration  is  quickened  in  order  to  obtain  the 
required  amount  of  oxygen,  and  evaporation  from  the  skin  and 
lungs  is  increased.  Protracted  residence  in  such  a  region  enlarges 
the  chest  capacity  to  a  marked  extent." 


CLIMATE   AS   A   EESOUKCE.  9 

Physicians  recommend  this  climate  particularly  for  those 
suffering  from  pulmonary  diseases,  which  cannot  exist  here 
except  in  a  relieved  and  modified  condition.  Dr.  Niles  has 
covered  this  feature  thoroughly,  not  only  by  his  own  extended 
observations,  but  by  conference  with,  others.  He  states:  "The 
most  rapid  and  satisfactory  results  have  been  noticed  in  that 
largest  class  of  American  invalids  whose  deteriorated  health  and 
loss  of  nervous,  mental  and  physical  vigor  has  been  caused  by 
overwork,  worry,  mental  strain,  etc.,  and  which,  without  any 
recognizable  specific  cause,  exhibit  various  distressing  symptoms 
or  functional  disorder,  such  as  neuralgias,  sleeplessness,  dizzi- 
ness, mental  depression,  weak  digestion,  disturbance  of  the 
circulation,  etc. 

"As  might  naturally  be  expected,  these  troublesome  patients 
usually  respond  promptly  to  the  pleasant  and  complete  change 
and  to  the  invigorating  influence  of  this  climate. 

."'It  is/ in  the  preventative  and  curative  treatment  of  diseases 
of  the  respiratory  tract,  however,  that  this  climate  has  attracted 
the  most  attention,  and,  perhaps,  deserves  the  greatest  credit. 

"Chronic  catarrhs  of  the  nose,  throat  and  bronchial  tubes 
are  favorably  influenced  from  the  first,  but  it  is  in  the  earlier 
stages  of  phthisis  that  the  greatest  power  of  these  natural 
therapeutic  agents  are  manifested.  Many  authentic  instances  are 
recorded  where  the  progress  of  the  disease  has  been  checked 
(even  after  cavities  have  been  formed  or  repeated  hemorrhages 
have  occurred)  and  the  patient's  general  health  lestored.  Some 
of  the  leading  insurance  companies  realizing  these  facts  take 
some  risks  (who  have  a  tendency  to  lung  trouble)  on  condition 
that  they  maintain  a  residence  here. 

"Visitors  from  a  lower  altitude  suffering  from  asthma  are 
usually  promptly  relieved  by  a  residence  here.  Those  suffering 
from  chronic  rheumatism,  unless  complicated  by  valvular  deposits, 
are  improved  by  the  use  of  the  springs,  aided  by  the  tonic  air. 
The  good  results  observed  in  all  of  those  maladies  dependent 
upon  passive  congestion  of  any  of  the  internal  organs  (liver, 
kidneys,  uterus,  brain,  etc.)  are  doubtless  in  a  large  measure 
due  to  the  potent  influence  of  the  lessened  atmospheric  pressure 
in  strengthening  and  equalizing  the  blood  circulation,  and  the 
alterative  effects  of  the  sulphur  springs  water.  This  high,  dry, 
cool  air  is  unfavorable  for  the  production  and  development  of 
germ  diseases,  and  this  city  is  freer  from  these  diseases  than 
other  cities  of  the  same  size." 

The  pure  sparkling  water  which  flows  from  the  snow  beds  on 
the  mountain  ranges  has  much  to  do  with  preserving  the  health 
of  our  citizens,  as  there  is  no  possibility  of  its  contamination 
such  as  takes  place  in  the  large  slow-flowing  rivers  of  most  other 
countries.  The  beneficial  effects  of  our  mineral  springs  and  of 
bathing  in  the  Great  Salt  Lake  are  referred  to  elsewhere. 


10  RESOURCES   AND   ATTRACTIONS   OF   UTAH. 


It  will  be  difficult  to  treat  of  this  subject  without  conveying 
the  impression  that  the  writer  suffers  from  chronic  enthusiasm 
and  cannot  describe  any  resource  of  the  Territory  without  resort- 
ing to  the  superlative,  but  no  statements  will  be  made  ,in  these 
pages  which  cannot  be  verified  by  undisputed  evidence.  It  is 
not  everything  that  can  be  grown  in  this  Territory.  Bread  truit, 
bananas,  mangoes,  sago  and  other  tropical  fruits  or  products 
cannot  be  produced.  Oranges,  figs  and  lemons  can  only  be 
grown  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Territory;  but  the  agricultural 
products  of  Utah  are  wide  in  their  range  and  almost  without 
exception  they  are  of  excellent  quality.  Although  our  farms  are 
small,  we  grow  enormous  crops  to  the  acre.  The  expense  per 
acre  is  large,  but  the  yield  compensates  for  the  cost.  Nearly  all 
our  farming  requires  irrigation,  which  almost  doubles  the  labor 
otherwise  required  upon  a  crop,  but  irrigation  means  high  culti- 
vation, and  it  is  therefore  possible  to  produce  from  fifty  acres  as 
much  as  one  hundred  acres  elsewhere  would  yield,  so  that  a  given 
area  will  support  a  larger  farming  population  in  this  Territory 
than  in  other  places.  The  soil  is  usually  magnificent;  charged 
with  natural  fertilizers,  rich,  deep  and  vigorous,  seeming  anxious 
to  respond  to  the  efforts  of  the  husbandman  when  once  the  life- 
giving  waters  are  spread  upon  its  surface.  There  has  never 
been  a  ton  of  artificial  fertilizer  brought  to  this  Territory  to  our 
knowledge.  The  soil  is  charged  with  calcium-phosphate  and 
other  chemicals  which  nature  requires  to  invigorate  and  sustain 
the  fruits  of  the  field.  That  subtle  something  which  replaces 
the  missing  ingredients  in  the  soil,  is  supplied  in  the  waters  of 
irrigation. 

This  is  being  more  and  better  appreciated  as  time  goes  on. 
Alkali  lands  are  caused  from  an  excess  of  plant  food,  and  they 
are  becoming  so  understood.  Granite,  feldspar,  porphyry  and 
limestone,  of  which  the  mountains  are  formed,  are  prolific  sources 
of  potash  and  soda.  Carbonate  of  lime,  also  essentially  a  plant 
food,  and  ammonia  are  both  abundant. 

The  cultivated  districts  of  Utah  are  in  the  valleys  and  lie 
between  the  mountain  ranges  throughout  the  whole  of  the  Terri- 
tory. It  is  true  that  in  the  western  parts  there  are  so-called 
desert  regions,  but  so  much  has  been  done  in  the  past  few  years 
to  conquer  the  deserts  of  the  Great  Basin,  and  so  many  instances 
are  at  hand  where  lands  once  desert  are  now  yielding  abundant 
crops,  that  it  is  not  safe  to  say  that  any  land  in  this  Territory  is 
truly  of  a  desert  nature.  The  drive-well  has  invaded  the  arid 


AGRICULTURE.  11 

regions,  and  wherever  its  waters  can  be  made  to  flow,  there  the 
land  makes  most  bountiful  returns  and  yields  up  the  substance 
of  the  field.  Farming  in  Utah,  however,  seems  to  require  more 
thought  and  ingenuity  than  elsewhere,  but  with  these  given,  the 
response  is  greater.  The  quality  of  the  product  is,  in  many 
instances,  beyond  comparison  with  any  other,  not  alwa)'s  as  to 
appearance,  but  usually  as  to  real  merit  and  fine  flavor.  A 
review  of  the  reports  from  the  different  counties  of  the  Territory, 
as  published  in  the  later  page's  of  this  work,  will  show  the 
astonishing  variety  of  agricultural  products  produced  in  each 
county  of  Utah;  and  it  will  be  further  noted  that  the  range  of 
products  is  different  in  the  southern  counties  to  that  of  the 
northern. 

These  are  the  general  facts  regarding  the  agriculture  of  this 
favored  Territory,  but  some  remarkable  and  unique  features  will 
be  noted  in  the  detailed  accounts  which  follow. 


GRAIN. 

Wheat. — The  soil  and  climate  of  Utah  is  well  adapted  to  the 
cultivation  and  growth  of  wheat.  The  latest  official  returns, 
gathered,  however,  with  great  care  and  accuracy,  showed  an  aver- 
age yield  per  acre  of  twenty-two  bushels  in  1890.  The  United 
States  report  for  the  same  year  shows  17.2,  and  the  Agricultural 
College  report  shows  an  average  from  irrigated  lands  to  be 
twenty-nine  bushels  in  1891.  The  United  States  report  is  not 
likely  to  be  true,  as  the  returns  are  gathered  with  far  less  com- 
pleteness than  the  others.  Our  Territorial  statistics  of  1890, 
twenty-two  bushels,  is  likely  to  be  the  nearest  estimate  to  the 
truth.  The  real  quality  of  the  grain  is  equal  to  that  of  any 
grown  in  America,  but  in  appearance  it  is  not  so  plump  as  that 
of  California,  though  brighter  and  larger  than  most  wheat  grown 
in  the  east.  There  is  no  steady  export  of  Utah  wheat,  but  occa- 
sionally we  send  it  to  Colorado  and  furthei  east,  and  have  more 
than  once  exported  to  England.  The  annual  production  ap- 
proaches three  million  bushels.  Sanpete  and  Cache  Counties 
lead  in  production,  closely  followed  by  Utah,  Weber  and  Salt 
Lake  Counties.  The  price  rarely  falls  below  sixty  cents,  and 
frequently  reaches  seventy-five  and  eighty  cents.  Utah  wheat 
exhibited  by  the  Agricultural  College  of  Logan,  received  an 
award  at  the  World's  Fair.  Under  our  system  of  irrigation  and 
consequent  high  cultivation  the  yield  per  acre  in  exceptional 
instances  has  been  astonishingly  great.  In  1889  the 'American 
Agriculturist  offered  a  prize  of  $500  to  the  farmer  raising  the 
largest  crop  of  wheat  to  the  acre  in  any  place  in  the  United 
States.  This  prize  was  secured  by  William  Gibby,  who  produced 
4806  pounds  of  clean  wheat,  being  eighty  bushels  and  six  pounds, 
from  one  acre  of  ground,  accurately  surveyed,  on  the  outskirts 


12  RESOURCES   AND   ATTRACTIONS   OF   UTAH. 

of  Salt  Lake  City.  The  crop  came  up  in  the  middle  of  Febru- 
ary, 1889,  and  received  no  attention  until  April  10th,  when  it 
was  rolled  once.  No  other  care  was  given  it  until  harvest  time, 
and  the  prize  acre  received  no  different  treatment  than  the 
general  wheat  crop  on  the  farm,  the  entire  yield  of  which 
averaged  seventy  bushels  to  the  acre.  One  bushel  and  one  peck 
of  seed  was  sown  to  the  acre.  The  only  fertilizer  used  was 
good  stable  manure.  Careful  farmers  have  kept  a  record  of 
their  time  actually  employed  in  wheat  raising  and  have  found 
that  they  have  been  able  to  make  as  high  as  ten  dollars  a  day 
for  the  season.  There  are  a  number  of  small  farms  throughout 
Utah  that  have  produced  as  high  as  sixty  bushels  to  the  acre 
year  after  year. 


BARLEY  FIELD.     OGDEN  VALLEY. 

Some  attention  has  recently  been  given  with  great  success, 
to  the  growth  of  Egyptian  seven-headed  wheat,  which  yields 
sixty  to  seventy  bushels  to  the  acre,  with  comparatively  little 
care. 

Oats. — Those  who  keep  up  work  horses  are  willing  to  pay 
twenty-five  to  thirty  per  cent,  more  for  Utah  oats  of  ordinary 
quality  than  for  a  fair  grade  of  Eastern.  Utah  oats,  there- 
fore, command  a  good  price,  and  when  the  market  favors  export 
a  comparatively  high  figure  is  asked  and  received.  The  grain 
is  handsome,  heavy  and  full  of  meat.  We  have  some  35,000 


AGRICULTURE. 


13 


acres  of  oats  under  cultivation  with  an  averagejyield  of  thirty- 
four^bushels  per  acre,  worth  six  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Utah 
County  produces  the  greatest  quantity  and  Box  Elder  County 
stands  first  in  the  average  yield  per  acre,  producing  fifty  bushels 
to  the  acre  in  1890.  Large  farms  have  been  known  to  realize 
eighty-five  bushels  to  the  acre.  Although  last  year's  yield  was 
rather  less  than  usual,  we  have  authentic  instances  of  from 
seventy  to  eighty  bushels  to  the  acre. 

Barley. — There  was  no  barley  exhibited  at  the  World's  Fair 
equal  to  that  produced  in  Utah.  Our  barley  has  alwa37s  been 
considered  superior  to  any  other  produced  in  the  United  States. 
It  is  very  heavy, — fifty  to  fifty-five  pounds  to  the  bushel,  thin. 


WHEAT  FIELD.     BOUNTIFUL,  DAVIS   COUNTY. 


BUSHELS  PER  ACRE. 


skinned  and  in  every  way  superior.  The  white  club  variety  "is 
largely  grown  for  brewing  purposes  and  is  in  demand  throughout 
the  East  in  competition  with  the  best  Canadian.  Several  train 
loads  have  been  exported  this  season  to  Cincinnati  and  other 
eastern  points.  The  annual  crop  approximates  half  a  million 
bushels,  the  largest  product  being  in  Utah  County.  Some  of  the 
southern  counties  produce  the  highest  average  to  the  acre,  that 
of  Garfield  County  fifty-two  bushels  in  1890.  The  price  is 
usually  about  fifty  cents  per  bushel.  Utah's  average  per  acre  is 
7.3j3ushels  greater  than  the  average  for  the  United  States. 


14  RESOURCES   AND    ATTRACTIONS   OF   UTAH. 

Corn. — Although  Utah  does  not  pose  as  a  corn  country,  there 
are  nearly  ten  thousand  acres  under  cultivation.  The  hot 
sultry  nights  which  corn  requires  are  not  characteristic  of  our 
climate,  but  in  some  of  .the  southern  parts  excellent  crops  are 
produced. 

£ye. — Comparatively  little  is  cultivated  in  Utah,  although 
the  quality  is  superb  and  the  yield  above  that  of  the  average  for 
the  United  States. 


GRASSES. 

Alfalfa. — This  is  one  of  the  most  important  crops  of  Utah. 
It  can  be  grown  on  rough  ground  that  is  too  dry  for  grass  and 
too  broken  and  stony  for  grain.  The  cultivation  of  alfalfa,  or 
lucern,  has  proven  one  of  the  greatest  blessings  enjoyed  by  the 
farming  people  of  Utah.  Excellent'  crops  have  been  secured  by 
merely  clearing  off  the  brush  and  casting  the  seed  over  the 
ground.  It  takes  longer  to  get  a  good  start  this  way,  and  it  is 
more  difficult  than  if  the  ground  is  stirred  or  broken,  but  it 
thrives  better  in  the  end.  Alfalfa  will  do  well  on  ground  that 
is  too  steep  for  a  mowing  machine  if  only  sufficient  water  can  be 
got  to  it  to  give  it  a  start.  Such  land  would  require  twenty-five 
pounds  of  seed  for  timothy,  but  for  the  raising  of  alfalfa,  not 
over  five  pounds  of  seed  is  required.  In  the  second  year  it  will 
self-sow  thinly.  It  does  not  thrive  on  cold  and  wet  ground. 
The  first  season  it  should  be  cut  as  often  as  it  is  high  enough  to 
do  so;  the  second  crop  will  afford  a  little  hay;  the  third  cutting 
about  half  a  crop,  making  about  one  whole  crop  for  the  season. 
The  second  year  it  will  be  as  good  as  it  ever  becomes,  and  will 
give  three  strong  crops,  yielding  on  the  average  four  or  five  tons 
to  the  acre.  Sometimes  eight  tons  per  acre  can  be  secured. 
The  average  in  Emery  County  for  1890  was  six  tons  to  the  acre. 
Utah  County  produces  the  greatest  quantity,  nearly  fifty  thousand 
tons.  More  or  less  alfalfa  is  grown  in  every  county  of  the 
Territory.  Probably  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  acres  are 
now  under  cultivation.  Alfalfa  once  planted,  needs  no  re-sowing; 
it  is  cut  each  time  when  it  is  well  out  in  blossom.  In  excep- 
tional cases  one  seed  has  been  known  to  throw  out  five  hundred 
shoots,  all  that  a  strong  man  can  lift.  When  left  for  seed  it 
sometimes  reaches  a  height  of  six  feet.  The  quality  of  alfalfa 
seed  raised  in  Utah  is  beyond  comparison  with  that  of  any  other 
region  known.  Many  carloads  are  annually  exported.  In 
California  and  elsewhere  there  is  a  steady  demand  for  it.  Utah 
alfalfa  seed  secured  first  prize  at  the  World's  Fair,  and  this  has 
done  much  to  stimulate  export  trade  during  the  past  year.  The 
market  for  this  year  makes  the  growing  of  alfalfa  highly  profit- 
able. In  the  dry  sand  hills  a  good  crop  of  lucern  hay  can  be 
cut  in  June;  then  in  the  dry  summer  a  lesser  crop  matures, 
which  is  harvested  for  seed,  and  being  more  sparsely  grown 


AGRICULTURE. 


15 


than  if  irrigated,  it  is  better  for  that  purpose.  A  good  average 
yield  of  seed  from  such  lands  would  be  six  hundred  pounds  to  the 
acre,  worth  about  forty  dollars.  Alfalfa,  like  all  other  forage 
grasses,  cures  quickly  in  this  climate  and  retains  its  color  and 
flavor  to  a  remarkable  degree. 

Hay. — Clover,  timothy  and  red  top  hay  are  grown  in  all 
parts  of  the  Territory.  Hay  cures  beautifully  and  retains  its 
nourishing  quality  better  in  this  Territory  than  elsewhere,  owing 
to  the  dry  atmosphere.  Morgan  County  in  1890  produced  3.2 
tons  on  the  average  to  the  acre  and  the  yield  is  probably  as 
great  as  that  of  any  district  recorded  in  statistics.  Cache  County 
is  a  great  hay  producing  region.  Utah  grasses  exhibited  at  the 


CELERY  FIELD.      OGDEN,  WEBER  CO. 

World's    Fair    were    pronounced    beyond    comparison    with    any 
others  shown  in  the  agricultural  building. 

Vegetables,  etc.  —  The  Utah  potato  is  justly  famous  all  over 
the  United  States.  In  1890  there  were  some  eight  thousand  acres 
under  cultivation,  yielding  a  million  bushels;  but  that  was  an 
off  year;  our  annual  product  is  usually  much  greater.  Utah 
County  is  the  greatest  producer,  its  average  being  one 'hundred 
and  sixty-eight  bushels  in  1890;  but  it  is  not  unusual  for  four 
hundred  bushels  of  magnificent  potatoes  to  be  produced  to  the 
acre.  As  high  as  eight  hundred  and  even  nine  hundred  to  the 
acre  have  been  recorded.  The  late  Secretary  Rusk  said,  "Utah 


16  RESOURCES  AND  ATTRACTIONS  OF  UTAH. 

beats  the  world  for  potatoes. '  The  manufacture  of  starch  from 
Utah  potatoes  would  prove  successful. 

Utah  has  also  a  fine  reputation  for  carrots,  which  sometimes 
yield,  of  good  quality,  as  much  as  eighteen  hundred  bushels  to 
the  acre;  also  for  onions,  turnips,  parsnips,  radishes,  etc.  The 
great  beet  sugar  factory  at  Lehi  has  developed  the  cultivation 
of  sugar  beets  throughout  the  middle  counties.  Last  year  this 
factory  consumed  26,800  tons  of  sugar  beets,  for  which  they  paid 
$135,000.  2700  acres  were  under  cultivation,  by  far  the  greatest 
number  being  in  Utah  County.  A  description  of  the  beet  sugar 
industry  is  given  under  the  head  of  Utah  County. 

We  annually  export  large  quantities  of  cabbage,  cauliflower 
and  celery,  the  latter  growing  exceptionally  fine;  and  for  home 
consumption  we  raise  an  abundance  of  beans,  peas,  lettuce, 
cabbage,  squash,  tomatoes,  asparagus,  etc.  In  the  production 
of  these  garden  stuffs,  Davis  County  takes  the  lead.  Peanuts 
could  be  grown  to  adva-ntage  in  this  Territory,  our  climate  and 
soil  being  especially  favorable.  Tobacco,  flax,  hops,  sorghum 
and  other  miscellaneous  crops  have  not  been  rightly  cultivated 
but  could  be  produced  to  advantage.  In  the  southern  part  of 
the  Territory,  cotton  is  very  successfully  raised.  It  averages  six 
hundred  pounds  to  the  acre,  which  is  an  enormous  yield,  the 
average  for  the  southern  states  being  usually  about  one  hundred 
and  seventy  pounds. 


THE  ORCHARDS  OF  UTAH. 

The  same  causes  which  give  excellence  to  the  grains  and 
vegetables  of  Utah  also  stand  for  orchard  products  of  a  high 
class.  Fresh  fruits  are  expoited  in  considerable  quantities,  and 
wherever  sent  take  a  high  place  and  command  a  ready  sale.  In 
general  terms,  the  superior  characteristics  are  firmness,  beauty, 
and  above  all,  fine  flavor. 

Nearly  every  county  in  the  Territory  produces  fruit,  Utah 
County  most  of  all;  Box  Elder,  Weber  and  Davis  following 
closely.  In  Washington  County,  figs,  pomegranates,  grapes  and 
other  semi-tropical  truits  thrive  to  perfection,  though  they  are 
too  far  from  the  railroads  to  meet  with  a  ready  market.  With 
reasonable  care,  peaches  are  raised  in  all  the  lower  altitude 
valleys  to  advantage.  They  are  shipped  wrapped  and  unwrapped, 
in  boxes  of  about  twenty  pounds  each,  and  find  a  ready  market 
in  Colorado  and  elsewhere.  Our  peach  trees  thrive  best  on 
light,  loamy  and  gravelly  soil.  Apples  are  better  and  becoming 
more  plentiful  every  year.  Great  quantities  are  raised  in  Weber 
and  Utah  Counties  and  shipped  from  Ogden,  Salt  Lake  City, 
Provo  and  Springville  to  the  markets  of  the  east  and  north. 
Box  Elder  County  also  makes  large  shipments.  The  principal 
varieties  for  export  are  the  fall  Pearmain  and  Rhode  Island 


AGRICULTURE.  17 

Greening;  but  among  the  last  and  very  best  to  come  into  market 
are  the  Winesap  and  winter  Pearmain,  which  keep  far  into 
April  and  are  generally  conceded  to  be  of  better  flavor  than  those 
from  the  East. 

Plums,  German  prunes,  pears,  apricots,  cherries  and  grapes 
of  splendid  quality  and  handsome  appearance  are  raised  in  great 
quantities;  strawberries  and  raspberries  are  both  native  to  Utah; 
also  red  and  black  currants;  under  cultivation  the  yield  is  very 
large  and  of  surprising  quality.  In  the  height  of  the  season, 
strawberries  come  to  market  in  the  greatest  abundance,  of  mag- 
nificent appearance  and  fine  flavor. 

Reference  to  dried  fruits  will  be  found  in  the  article  on 
range  products  of  Utah. 

The  value  of  the  grain,  grasses,  vegetables  and  fruits  pro- 
duced in  Utah  in  1890  was  computed  by  the  Territorial  statis- 
tition  to  be  $8,309,705.80. 


IRRIGATION. 

THE  farmers  of  Utah  were  the  first  to  prove  the  advantages 
of  irrigation  in  the  arid  regions  of  the  United  States.  They 
believe  in  it  and  depend  upon  it,  and  in  so  doing  they  feel  a 
sense  of  security  and  achieve  results  which  fully  compensate  for 
the  extra  labor  thus  involved.  In  seasons  of  drouth,  when  the 
eastern  farmer  is  praying  for  rain,  those  of  Utah  are  turning  on 
the  water.  According  to  the  latest  and  most  reliable  data  there 
were  374,340  acres  of  land  under  cultivation  in  the  Territory, 
310,759  of  which  were  actually  irrigated.  Out  of  eleven  thou- 
sand farms,  about  ten  thousand  depend  upon  irrigation;  the 
remainder  being  either  stock  ranches  or  elevated  districts  where 
dry  farming  is  practiced.  Irrigated  farms  are  usually  small, 
averaging  about  thirty  acres.  There  are  only  five  irrigated 
farms  in  the  Territory  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  or  upwards. 
The  greatest  number  of  irrigators  are  in  Salt  Lake  County,  but 
the  greatest  number  of  irrigated  acres  are  in  Cache  and  Sanpete 
Counties;  Utah  and  Weber  Counties  following  quite  closely. 
Some  of  the  largest  farms  are  in  Rich,  and  Uintah  Counties,  but 
they  are  not  the  greatest  producers.  The  farms  lying  along  the 
base  of  the  Wasatch  mountains,  near  the  markets  of  the  large 
cities,  being  smaller  and  more  highly  cultivated.  The  value  of 
the  products  of  some  of  these  is  remarkably  great. 

The  average  first  cost  of  bringing  water  on  to  the  land  is 
about  ten  dollars  per  acre  for  the  entire  territory,  and  the 
average  value  placed  by  the  farmer  upon  such  water  right  is 
twenty-seven  dollars  per  acre.  The  average  annual  cost  of 
maintaining  this  water  right  throughout  the  Territory  is  ninety 
cents  per  acre.  The  average  first  cost  of  land  and  water  is  about 
twenty-seven  dollars  per  acre;  and  the  average  annual  value  of 

2 


18 


RESOURCES  AND  ATTRACTIONS  OF  UTAH. 


production  is  eighteen  dollars,  as  against  thirteen  dollars  foi 
New  Mexico  and  fourteen  dollars  for  Arizona.  As  compared 
with  farms  of  surrounding  states  those  of  Utah  are  in  a  much 
higher  state  of  cultivation.  The  cultivated  areas  are  usually 
along  the  bases  of  the  high  mountain  ranges,  from  which 
separate  streams  issue  every  few  miles.  They  are  thus  favorably 
situated  for  cheap  and  effective  irrigation  and  in  the  early  part 


FLOWING  WELL,  NEAR  SALT  LAKE   CITY. 

of  the  season  when  water  is  most  plentiful  it  carries  fertilizing 
elements  that  maintain  the  productiveness  of  the  land.  Experi- 
ments made  by  the  Utah  Agricultural  College  prove  conclusively 
that  irrigation  streams  possess  more  of  the  qualities  nutritious 
to  vegetation  than  are  obtained  from  rain  water.  In  all  such 
districts,  large  areas  of  land  are  extremely  productive  and  support 
a  considerable  farming  population,  with  thrifty  towns  not  far 
apart  from  each  other.  Utah  occupies  a  central  position  in 
the  arid  region  and  its  details  of  irrigation  possess  unusual 


AGRICULTURE.  19 

interest;  the  farmers  having  introduced  methods  of  their  own 
and  achieved  success  after  repeated  failures,  they  are  now  well 
able  to  instruct  the  rest  of  America  in  the  art  of  irrigation. 
Until  a  year  or  two  ago,  no  attempts  had  been  made  at  diverting 
large  streams  for  irrigation  purposes,  the  capital  required  being 
greater  than  the  farmers  could  gather  together  for  the  purpose; 
but  in  Sevier  County  the  Swan  Lake  Reservoir  and  Canal 
Company  has  constructed  a  reservoir  covering  forty  thousand 
acres,  and  built  a  large  canal  many  miles  in  length  to  irrigate 
a  tract  containing  some  two  hundred  thousand  acres  of  fertile 
land,  which  but  for  this  enterprise  could  never  be  cultivated.  In 
Parley's  Park,  in  Goshen  Valley  and  in  other  valleys,  similar 
enterprises,  on  a  smaller  scale,  however,  are  under  way;  but  the 
greatest  undertaking  of  this  character  is  in  Box  Elder  County, 
where  the  Bear  River  Canal,  built  at  a  cost  of  two  million 
dollars,  and  having  already  seventy  miles  of  main  canal  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  laterals,  has  been  constructed,  to 
bring  under  cultivation  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  acres  of 
the  choicest  lands  in  Utah,  which  have  hitherto  been  unoccu- 
pied and  would  have  remained  so  but  for  this  enterprise. 

To  a  limited  extent,  farming  in  Utah  depends  on  the 
amount  of  snow-fall  in  the  mountains,  but  experience  has  shown 
that  there  is  usually  sufficient  to  irrigate  nearty  all  of  the  land 
that  is  under  cultivation,  and  plans  can  be  made  with  confidence 
that  the  harvest  will  be  sure.  With  experience  and  increase  in 
the  farming  population,  greater  economy  is  being  practiced  and 
a  given  quantity  of  water  is  made  to  support  larger  areas  of  land. 
Potatoes,  corn,  vegetables  and  all  plants  growing  in  hills  or 
rows  are  irrigated  by  furrows,  the  water  flowing  in  small  streams 
through  the  furrows  and  gradually  moistening  the  ground  on 
each  side.  Grain  is  usually  watered  by  flooding;  but  more  gen- 
erally the  ground  is  marked  off  by  means  of  some  simple  con- 
trivance made  by  the  farmer.  After  grain  is  planted,  the  fields 
are  sometimes  rolled  with  a  heavy  roller  having  projections 
twelve  to  twenty-four  inches  apart,  which  makes  small  grooves 
in  the  surface  of  the  field  and  in  such  a  direction  that  there  is  a 
constant  though  gradual  slope  from  one  end  to  the  other.  The 
water  is  then  let  into  these  little  markings  or  grooves  the  same 
as  if  they  were  furrows.  When  this  ifj  well  done  irrigation  pro- 
ceeds rapidly  and  with  the  least  waste  of  water.  Utah's  irriga- 
tion model  exhibited  at  the  World's  Fair  was  one  of  the  most 
interesting  features  of  the  Agricultural  Department. 

It  is  probable  that  with  great  economy  and  by  the  storage  of 
winter  and  surplus  water  a  million  acres  might  soon  be  irrigated  in 
Utah.  Natural  storage  basins  or  reservoirs  exist  in  and  around 
the  higher  mountains  in  nearly  all  parts  of  the  Territory. 
Alpine  lakes  formed  by  glacial  action  exist  near  the  heads  of  the 
canyons,  and  with  little  labor  these  could  be  converted  into 


20 


RESOURCES    AND   ATTRACTIONS  OF   UTAH. 


natural  storage  basins  of  enormous  capacity.  By  these  and  other 
means  it  has  been  computed  by  Professor  Jones  that  in  Beaver 
County  alone  over  two  billion  cubic  feet  of  water  could  be  saved 
for  irrigation;  in  Garfield  County,  three  billions ;in  Utah  County 
there  are  seven  valley  sites  and  twenty-seven  mountain  sites 
capable  of  holding  at  least  a  billion  feet;  as  large  a  quantity 
could  be  saved  in  Kane  County,  or  Millard  County;  and  no  doubt 
there  are  many  other  districts  in  which  improvements  of  this 
character  could  be  made  to  advantage  and  the  agricultural 
district  largely  increased.  Enormous  profits  await  those  who 
engage  with  reasonable  judgment  in  such  enterprises. 


IRRIGATED   CABBAGE  FIELD  NEAR  OGDEN,  8000  HEADS  TO  ACRE. 

In  the  report  from  Wasatch  County  it  will  be  noted  that 
there  are  only  eighteen  thousand  acres  now  irrigated,  but  that 
there  is  water  enough  to  irrigate  nearly  twice  as  much. 

A  remarkable  water  supply — a  great  blessing  to  the  farm- 
ers of  Utah — has  been  obtained  during  recent  years  by  drive  wells. 
Of  these  there  were  some  twenty-five  hundred  in  1890.  The 
average  depth  is  one  hundred  and  forty-five  feet,  costing  sev- 
enty-seven dollars  per  well,  or  about  fifty  cents  per  foot.  They 
range  from  one  and  a  quarter  to  four  inches  in  diameter.  The 
average  discharge  is  twenty- six  gallons  per  minute,  but  some  of 
them  are  regular  geysers  and  irrigate  a  considerable  area.  On 
the  average  they  irrigate  nearly  five  acres,  and  are  chiefly  used 
for  watering  market  gardens.  The  wells  are  made  by  drilling 


MINING.  21 

and  by  driving  pipe  through  the  sand  and  clay  until  some  per- 
vious and  water-bearing  layer  is  reached.  They  range  from  thirty 
feet  in  depth  on  the  lowest  ground  up  to  four  hundred  feet  or 
more  near  the  edge  of  the  valley.  The  water  thus  produced  is 
usually  of  excellent  quality. 

One  only  need  traverse  the  rich  ranges  that  rest  along 
both  flanks  of  the  Wasatch  and  note  the  fertile  character  of 
the  soil,  to  be  convinced  that  only  water  service  is  needed  to 
make  vast  tracts,  now  wholly  unoccupied,  become  most  at- 
tractive as  well  as  productive.  It  must  not  be  supposed  that  all 
the  lands  open  for  settlement  lack  water  supply.  In  the  rich 
benches  of  the  water-sheds  of  the  Uintah  Mountains,  and  in 
the  valley  approaches  there  remain  unfenced  and  unimproved 
large  districts  inviting  to  the  plow  and  to  which  an  ample 
water  supply  can  be  conveyed  easily  from  unappropriated 
sources.  Other  tracts  cannot  be  irrigated,  yet  make  excellent 
grazing  lands,  while  still  others  can  be  converted  into  fields  and 
pastures  if  ever  the  government  will  reach  forth  its  aid  toward 
the  building  of  reservoirs  and  canals,  which  settlers  cannot  think 
of  contemplating  at  their  own  cost. 

Of  these  lands,  a  considerable  portion  belong  to  the  original 
land  grant  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  represented  in  Salt  Lake 
City  by  C.  E.  Wantland,  and  favorable  terms  are  now  being  offered 
to  settlers,  the  terms  of  payment  being  easy,  and  large  concessions 
made  to  bona-fide  purchasers  who  improve  the  country.  Of  such 
lands,  no  fewer  than  half  a  million  acres  of  the  most  varied 
character  are  for  sale  in  Utah  alone;  and  from  this  area  there 
are  some  desirable  homesteads  to  be  selected.  Much  of  this,  and 
still  more  of  unoccupied  government  land  subject  to  settlement 
is  also  within  easy  reach  of  the  Rio  Grande  Western,  which 
company,  through  its  general  passenger  agent,  J.  H.  Bennett,  is 
now  actively  engaged  in  promoting  the  settlement  of  the  unim- 
proved lands  of  Utah. 


Active  mining  commenced  in  Utah  in  1870,  although  some 
developments  had  been  made  in  the  Cottonwood  districts  during 
the  previous  year.  From  that  time  until  the  present  this  industry 
has  proven  the  principal  source  of  revenue  to  the  Territory,  and 
has  contributed  much  to  its  prosperity.  As  early  as  1872,  the 
production  amounted  to  $2,547,916,  the  following  year  it  had  in- 
creased to  $4,523,497,  the  annual  production  steadily,  growing 
until  it  reached  its  climax  in  1892,  when  the  production  of  gold, 
silver,  lead  and  copper  had  a  seaboard  value  of  $16,276,818.00. 
The  output  would  have  continued  to  increase  year  by  year  had 
not  anti-silver  legislation  in  Congress  depressed  prices  and 
caused  a  number  of  properties  to  shut  down.  As  a  result,  the 


22  RESOURCES   AND   ATTRACTIONS   OF   UTAH. 

output  for  1893  was  only  $12,832,074.00,  the  falling  off  being  in 
silver,  lead  and  copper,  while  the  production  of  gold  increased 
over  forty  per  cent.  It  has  been  one  of  the  marvels  of  the  past 
jrear  or  two  that  while  the  low  prices  on  lead  and  silver  threaten 
to  destroy  our  metal  mining  industry,  the  wonderful  gold  dis- 
coveries promise  to  offset  a  great  part  of  the  injury.  This  is 
one  of  many  instances  that  prove  the  vitality  of  this  country  and 
the  diversity  of  its  resources.  We  have  so  many  different 
sources  of  revenue  that  we  cannot  develop  them  all  fully  at  one 
time,  nor  can  they  all  fail  us  at  one  time.  Silver,  lead,  copper 
and  gold  to  the  value  of  two  hundred  millions  have  been  pro- 
duced in  Utah  in  the  last  twenty-two  years,  but  if  silver  pro- 
duction were  stopped  entirely  this  Territory  would  still  be  an 
important  mineral  country,  for  greater  attention  would  then  be 
given  to  the  development  of  our  bodies  of  gold,  copper,  lead, 
iron,  zinc,  cinnabar,  tin,  bismuth,  cobalt,  antimony,  manganese 
and  other  metals  known  to  exist  in  more  or  less  abundance  in 
various  parts  of  the  Territory,  and  to  the  singular  variety  of 
other  valuable  minerals  we  can  produce.  Aside  from  the  depos- 
its of  precious  metals,  explorations  of  bur  mountains  prove  them 
to  be  a  gigantic  laboratory  wherein  Nature  has  worked  with  in- 
finite cunning  for  countless  centuries  and  stored  up  vast  treas- 
ures from  which  manufacturing  and  commercial  communities 
may  draw  their  supplies  of  crude  material.  In  this  respect  it 
has  been  truly  said  that  no  State  in  the  Union  posesses  a  more 
diversified  or  valuable  store.  Among  the  mountains  and  valleys 
are  deposits  of  alum,  asbestos,  asphaltum,  barytes,  borax, 
hydraulic  cements,  chromium,  clays,  copperas,  coal,  mica,  nitre, 
onyx,  petroleum,  phosphates,  plumbago,  precious  stones,  pyrites, 
salt,  soda,  sulphur,  talc,  thermal  springs,  whetstones,  lithogra- 
phic stone,  slate,  building  and  ornamental  stones  and  marbles  of 
great  variety,  and  probably  other  minerals  which  no  doubt  exist 
in  the  portions  'of  the  Territory  that  have  not  been  closely  ex- 
plored. Utah's  collection  of  specimens  of  the  various  minerals 
of  the  Territory  won  the  highest  prize  at  the  World's  Fair  and 
will  be  shown  at  the  Midwinter  Fair. 

To  give  a  complete  account  of  the  development  and  possibil- 
ities of  each  of  these  would  require  a  volume  of  itself,  but  some 
idea  of  the  mineral  resources  of  Utah  may  be  gathered  by  a  brief 
reference  to  a  few  of  the  most  important. 

CoaL — Of  the  two  principal  coal  fields  that  have  been  so  far 
developed  in  this  Territory,  one  is  at  Coalville,  Summit  County, 
the  other  in  Emery  County,  extending  from  Castle  Gate  to  Sco- 
field.  Last  year,  Coalville  produced  49,080  tons,  and  Emery 
Count}7  331,878  tons,  while  an  unknown  but  considerable  quantity 
was  produced  in  other  parts  of  the  Territory.  Splendid  coal 
beds  also  exist  in  a  number  of  the  southern  counties.  Near 
Wales,  in  Sanpete  County,  mines  producing  excellent  coal  have 


MINING. 


23 


been  in  operation  since  1855. 
Near  Beaver,  a  five-foot  vein 
of  excellent  coal  has  recently 
been  discovered.  Near  Cedar 
City,  in  Iron  County,  at  a 
point  adjacent  to  the  great 
iron  mountains,  good  coal  is 
cheaply  mined.  At  Vernal, 
in  Uintah  County,  an  excel- 
lent quality  is  easily  procur- 
ed. This  is  in  the  extreme 


24  RESOURCES  AND  ATTRACTIONS  OF  UTAH. 

north-east  corner  of  the  Territory,  and  another  coal  field  exists 
in  the  extreme  south-west  corner  of  the  Territory,  near  New 
Harmony  in  Washington  County.  The  value  of  the  coal  annu- 
ally produced  in  Utah  is  one  million  dollars,  but  with  oppor- 
tunities for  export,  such,  for  instance,  as  will  arise  on  the  com- 
pletion of  the  railway  from  Los  Angeles,  the  quantity  may  be 
many  times  doubled,  as  with  a  coal  area  of  not  less  than  five 
thousand  square  miles,  there  is  absolutely  no  limit  to  our  ca- 
pacity for  production.  When  it  is  realized  that  there  are  no 
coal  mines  between  Utah  and  the  Pacific  coast,  and  that  we  are 
well  able  to  supply  the  entire  California  demand,  the  future  for 
Utah  coal  seems  to  be  very  great.  The  quality  of  our  coal  is 
excellent,  both  for  heating  and  steam-making,  and  being  hard 
it  is  well  adapted  for  transportation  to  long  distances.  At 
Castle  Gate,  Emery  County,  the  Pleasant  Valley  Coal  Company 
manufactured  16,730  tons  of  coke  of  good  quality,  which  was 
used  by  the  smelters  near  Salt  Lake  City. 

Iron.  — There  are  iron  deposits  that  can  be  worked  with 
profit  in  Cache,  Weber,  Wasatch,  Salt  Lake,  Morgan,  Juab,  and 
many  other  counties  of  Utah,  but  the  greatest  of  all  is  in  Iron 
County,  which  possesses  one  of  the  most  remarkable  deposits  in 
the  world.  Near  Cedar  City,  is  the  Iron  Mountain,  computed 
to  contain  fifty  million  tons  of  fine  iron  ore.  Prof.  Newberry 
has  said  of  this  mountain:  "The  deposits  of  iron  ore  near  Iron 
City  in  south-western  Utah  are  probably  not'  excelled  in  intrinsic 
value  by  any  in  the  world.  The  ore  is  magnetite  and  hematite, 
and  occurs  in  a  belt  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  long  and  three  or 
four  miles  wide, along  which  there  are  frequent  outcrops,  each 
of  which  shows  a  length  and  breadth  of  several  hundred  feet  of 
compact  massive  ore  of  the  richest  quality.  There  are  certainly 
no  other  deposits  to  compare  with  them  west  of  the  Mississippi 
for  the  manufacture  of  pig  and  bar  iron  and  steel,  and  it  would 
be  difficult  to  estimate  the  influence  they  would  have  on  the 
industries  of  the  Pacific  Coast." 

Another  acknowledged  expert  has  said:  "Utah's  iron  re- 
sources must  exceed  those  of  any  other  section  of  the  Union." 
All  the  iron  ore  so  far  mined  in  Utah  has'  been  red  and  brown 
hematite,  of  which  some  12,000  tons  are  annually  used  for  flux 
in  the  smelters,  but  when  it  is  realized  that  the  largest  and  best 
of  our  iron  deposits  are  located  close  to  great  coal  measures,  it 
is  safe  to  predict  that  the  day  will  yet  come  when  the  iron  and 
steel  required  in  the  western  half  of  this  country  at  least  will  be 
produced  within  the  Territory  of  Utah.  We  shall  have  big 
blast  furnaces  and  foundries,  and  the  railroads  of  the  west  will 
be  equipped  with  rails  made  of  Utah  steel;  we  shall  make  all 
the  stoves,  machinery,  iron  pipe,  and  miscellaneous  ironware  of 
the  trans-Mississippi  country.  It  would  pay  even  now,  but 


MINING. 


25 


with  the   proposed    railway  connection  to    the     southern    part  of 
the  Territory,  such  enterprises  will  begin  at  once. 

Sulphur. — Excellent  sulphur  mines  exist  in  Washington 
County  and  in  other  parts  of  the  Territory,  but  the  important 
deposit  is  that  owned  by  the  Utah  Sulphur  Company  at  Cove 
Creek,  Millard  County.  This  surpasses  any  other  deposit  in  the 
known  world,  the  sulphur  being  far  richer  and  more  abundant 
than  in  Sicily,  from  which  the  world  draws  its  greatest  supply, 
One  thousand  tons  were  shipped  in  1893  to  St.  Louis,  Chicago, 
Omaha,  Denver,  Kansas  City  and  Portland,  Oregon;  but  the 
trade  is  increasing  and  the  developments  at  the  mines  will  now 
permit  a  much  larger  output.  The  present  production  is  fifty 
tons  per  day,  98  per  cent.  pure.  The  milling 
capacity  is  thirty  tons,  with  a  subliming 
chamber  producing  one  and  a  half  tons  of 
flowers  of  sulphur  daily.  The  output  will 
probably  be  much  greater  in  the  future.  The 
shipping  point  is  Black  Rock,  on  the  Union 
Pacific  system.  Pyrites  of  iron  exists  in  Salt 
Lake  and  other  counties,  and  it  has  been 
shown  that  sulphuric  acid  can  be  economic- 
ally manufactured  from  it  in  this  Territory. 


Plaster  of  Paris. — At  Nephi,  Juab  County,  the  Nephi  Plaster 
Manufacturing  Company  supply  the  whole  of  Utah  and  ship 
large  quantities  to  California.  The  output  of  1893  was  fifteen 
hundred  tons,  of  superior  quality.  The  raw  material,  gypsum, 
from  which  this  is  made,  is  said  to  be  the  purest  known.  The 
analysis  is: 

Lime 33.60 

Sulphuric  acid 43.07 

Water..  .  23.33 


Total 100.00 


26  RESOUKCES   AND   ATTEACTIONS   OF   UTAH. 

This  enterprise  will  probably  develop  into  much  greater 
proportions.  An  excellent  exhibit  is  being  prepared  by  the  com- 
pany for  the  Midwinter  Fair. 

Salt. — A  company  at  Nephi,  Juab  County,  is  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  refined  salt  from  the  rock  salt  found  near  by,  and 
another  company  is  doing  a  large  business  in  the  sale  of  rock  salt 
as  mined.  A  number  of  the  lower  altitude  counties  of  Utah  can 
produce  salt  to  advantage,  epecially  Sevier  County;  but  the  prin- 
cipal source  of  supply  is  in  the  Great  Salt  Lake  itself,  which  is 
probably  the  best  and  largest  deposit  of  brine  in  the  world.  Its 
waters  carry  about  twenty  per  cent,  of  salt.  Around  the  lake  are 
salt  farms,  where  ponds  are  made  by  building  levees,  to  obtain 
salt  by  solar  evaporation.  This  salt  is  stacked  in  piles  and  is 
ready  for  market  as  coarse  salt  for  stock  and  for  the  amalgamat- 
ing works  throughout  the  mining  regions.  About  one  hundred 
thousand  tons  per  annum  are  usually  gathered  in  this  way.  The 
largest  salt  works  are  operated  by  the  Inland  Salt  Company,  in 
Salt  Lake  County,  which  employs  a  large  number  of  men  through- 
out the  year.  Crude  salt  for  the  silver  mills  brings  $1.50  per  ton 
on  the  cars,  while  the  refined  salt  for  dairy  and  domestic  use 
brings  about  $12  per  ton.  The  salt  business  of  Utah  amounts  to 
about  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  per  annum. 

Asphaltum. — The  asphaltum  fields  of  Utah  are  in  the  north- 
eastern part  of  the  Territory,  almost  the  whole  of  Wasatch  and 
Uintah  Counties  being  impregnated  with  the  mineral  in  a  great 
variety  of  forms  and  conditions,  the  principal  kinds  being  gil- 
sonite,  ozokerite  (130,000  pounds  produced  in  1889),  wurtzelite 
(often  called  elaterite),  asphaltic  limestone  and  gilsonite,  which 
are  the  only  forms  that  have  been  profitably  worked.  A  combi- 
nation of  the  two  has  been  used  successfully  in  paving  the 
principal  streets  of  Salt  Lake  City.  The  elastic  quality  of 
bitumen  in  this  combination  has  made  a  desirable  pavement 
pleasant  to  travel  upon.  It  is  comparatively  noiseless.  The 
asphaltum  pavements  laid  in  Utah  have  been  done  by  the 
Wasatch  Asphaltum  Company  of  Salt  Lake  City,  who  operate 
their  own  mines  in  Utah  and  Wasatch  Counties,  and  besides 
using  a  considerable  quantity  of  asphaltum  in  this  Territory, 
export  a  great  many  carloads  every  year  to  various  parts  of  the 
United  States.  They  also  manufacture  and  ship  mastic  similar 
to  the  Val  de  Travers,  and  their  "No.  1  Refined  Asphaltum" 
takes  the  place  of  Trinidad  for  all  purposes.  The  gilsonite 
shipped  by  them  is  superior  to  any  other  form  of  asphaltum 
produced  in  the  world.  It  analyses  99.99  per  cent,  pure,  while 
the  next  best,  the  Egyptian,  is  only  90  per  cent.  pure.  All  the 
largest  varnish  makers  in  the  United  States  now  use  this  form 
of  Utah  asphaltum  for  the  manufacture  of  their  highest  grades 
of  black  Japans  and  asphaltum  varnishes.  All  the  black  Japanned 
tin-signs  used  for  gold  lettering  are  prepared  with  it,  and  gil- 


MINING.  27 

sonite  is  used  also  for  all  fine  black  varnish  work,  such  as  type- 
writers, bicycles,  etc.,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  kinds. 
Gilsonite  is  produced  only  in  Utah.  In  comparison  with  the 
Utah  product,  Trinidad  asphaltum  is  a  coarse  article,  being  only 
thirty  per  cent.  pure. 

The  veins  from  which  gilsonite  is  mined  are  perpendicular 
fissures  lying  in  horizontal  strata  of  yellow  sandstone.  The  ship- 
ping point  is  Price  Station  in  Emery  County.  Several  million 
pounds  are  exported  annually  to  the  best  known  varnish  makers 
in  the  United  States. 

Gilsonite  is  also  used  to  better  advantage  than  any  other 
material  in  the  manufacture  of  roofing  pitch,  teredo-proof  paints, 
first-class  lubricants  and  insulating  compounds.  As  an  insulator 
it  is  the  best  material  known.  Tests  by  the  Westinghouse  Com- 
pany have  shown  it  to  be  a  perfect  insulator  against  the  heaviest 
voltage  which  the  largest  electric  plant  in  the  United  States  can 
accumulate.  At  twelve  hundred  volts  the  insulation  on  a  test  piece 
one-eighth  of  an  inch  thick  was  perfect.  It  is  used  by  the 
carload  in  the  manufacture  of  insulated  wire. 

As  a  paving  material  the  asphaltic  limestone  produced  by 
the  Wasatch  Asphaltum  Company  has  been  demonstrated  by 
practical  proof  in  the  laying  of  several  miles  of  first-class  pave- 
ment, to  be  the  equal  for  this  purpose  of  any  asphaltum  known. 
The  production  of  asphaltum  in  Utah7 last  year  amounted  to 
$150,000,  and  is  likely  to  increase  very  rapidly  in  the  near 
future. 

Asbestos  of  good  quality  is  found  in  Beaver  County.  Indica- 
tions of  Petroleum  that  are  likely  to  lead  to  a  profitable  development 
are  found  in  Emery  County,  near  Pleasant  Valley  and  near  Green 
River.  Graphite  is  discovered  in  Box  Elder  County  and  in  Utah 
County.  There  are  large  beds  not  far  from  Provo  and  some  near 
Goshen.  One  of  the  most  remarkable  deposits  known  of  Selcnite 
is  found  in  Wayne  County  near  the  Fremont  River.  The  crystals 
occur  in  a  cave  within  a  mound,  from  which  have  been  taken 
prisms  of  perfect  form  from  one  to  five  feet  in  length  and  from 
ten  to  one  hundred  pounds  in  weight.  This  selenite  is  of  per- 
fect transparency,  and  the  crystals  are  probably  as  magnificent  as 
any  that  have  ever  been  discovered.  Mica  is  found  in  Box  Elder 
County  (see  county  article),  in  Davis  County  and  Uintah  County. 
The  deposit  in,  Box  Elder  County  promises  to  furnish  an  article 
fit  for  commerce. 

Clays. — A  great  variety  of  rich  and  beautiful  clays  exist  in 
Utah,  almost  every  county  having  a  deposit  of  some  kind  of  clay. 
In  Salt  Lake  County,  near  Draper,  is  a  vast  bed  of  kaolin,  from 
which  articles  of  delicate  and  purest  white  pottery  have  been 
made  on  an  experimental  scale.  At  the  base  of  the  Wasatch 
mountains  throughout  Utah  County  is  a  deposit  of  black  clay  of 
the  finest  quality.  Brick  clays  from  which  first-class  brick  are 


MINING.  29 

manufactured  are  found  nearly  everywhere  throughout  the  Terri- 
tory. The  brick  produced  is  of  almost  every  color  and  tone. 
From  our  fire  clays  are  produced  a  first-class  quality  of  fire 
brick. 

Veins  carrying  bismuth  have  been  found  in  Beaver  County 
near  Beaver  City,  carrying  from  one  to  six  per  cent,  of  the  metal. 
This  metal  has  also  been  found  in  the  mines  of  Bingham,  but 
there  are  no  reduction  works  in  this  country  designed  for  its 
extraction. 

Soda  and  nitr  exist  in  Weber,  Utah,  and  other  Counties,  and 
alum  in  abundance  in  Iron  County. 

Mineral  Springs. — It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  the 
mineral  and  thermal  springs  of  Utah,  so  great  are  their  variety 
and  so  widely  scattered  throughout  the  various  counties.  The 
best  known  are  the  sulphur  springs  on  the  outskirts  of  Salt  Lake 
City,  whose  curative  properties  have  aided  the  physicians  in 
accomplishing  wonderful  restorations.  The  Idanha  water  of 
soda  springs,  near  the  northern  boundary  of  the  Territory, 
secured  the  first  prize  above  every  competitor  at  the  World's  Fair, 
rival  waters  being  submitted  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 


WASATKA  WATER. 

The  greatest  medicinal  water  which  Utah  presents  today  is 
the  celebrated  Wasatka  mineral  water,  taken  from  springs  on  the 
northern  outskirts  of  Salt  Lake  City.  The  marvelous  health-giv- 
ing and  healing  properties  of  this  generous  spring  have  only 
recently  been  brought  on  a  large  scale  to  the  attention  of  invalids 
and  others;  but  its  reputation  has  spread  rapidly  and  its  curative 
powers  are  making  it  famous  wherever  it  is  used.  Wasatka,  or 
the  "Milk  Spring,"  derives  its  name  from  the  peculiar  soft  or 
milk-like  flavor.  During  the  past  two  years  many  wonderful 
cures  have  been  effected  by  this  water,  which  has  been  pro- 
claimed to  be  the  finest  remedy  known  for  constipation  and  for 
disease  of  the  kidneys  and  liver.  Remarkable  effects  have 
followed  its  use  as  a  remedy  for  abdominal  obesity,  indigestion, 
catarrh  and  insomnia.  As  a  table  water  it  is  refreshing  and 
invigorating.  This  seems  a  liberal  statement  to  make  regarding  a 
mineral-  spring,  but  overwhelming  testimony  from  physicians  and 
their  patients  justify  every  assertion  that  is  made.  A  recent 
exhaustive  analysis  by  Walter  S.  Haines,  Professor  of  Chemistry 
at  the  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  made  from  samples  of 
water,  accompanied  by  an  affidavit  of  J.  P.  Bache,  Clerk  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Utah,  that  it  was  taken  direct  from  the 
Wasatka  Springs,  showed  that  each  gallon  contained: 


30  BESOUKCES  AND  ATTRACTIONS  OF  UTAH. 


GRAINS. 

Sodium  Chloride 230  88 

Potassium  Chloride  . 3.06 

Magnesium  Chloride     .   .       21.24 

Calcium  Chloride 11.92 

Lithium  Chloride 012 

Ammonium  Chloride 0.25 

Calcium  Sulphate 59.50 

Calcium  Carbonate 4.75 

Sodium  Borate traces 

Magnesium  Bromide traces 

Silica 0.75 

Oxides  of  Iron  and  Aluminum .      0.03 


Total  , 332.50 

In  reference  to  the  above  one  of  our  most  prominent  physi- 
cians has  testified  that  this  water  could  be  safely  recommended 
for  general  use.  It  is  especially  indicated  in  functional  diseases 
of  the  digestive  organs,  liver  and  kidneys,  on  account  of  its 
alterative,  aperient  and  diuretic  effects. 

For  lead  poisoning,  rheumatism  and  some  other  diseases 
common  in  this  section  requiring  drugs  having  special  eliminat- 
ing action,  it  is  his  opinion  that  Wasatka  water  would  be  bene- 
ficial. 

The  Wasatka  Mineral  Springs  Company  of  Salt  Lake  City, 
Utah,  bottle  this  water  on  a  large  scale,  and  not  only  find  exten- 
sive demand  for  it  throughout  Utah,  but  are  shipping  it  to  con- 
siderable distances. 

Other  competent  physicians  have  endorsed  Wasatka  water 
for  various  troubles,  but  the  most  remarkable  claim  made  for  it  is 
that  it  is  a  cure  for  Bright's  disease,  and  strong  evidence  has 
been  given  that  this  is  perfectly  true.  The  company  offers 
evidence  that  should  be  convincing  of  the  value  of  Wasatka 
water  for  the  cure  of  this  disease,  and  this  alone  should  make  it 
famous. 

Building  and  Ornamental  Stones.  —  The  finest  building  stones 
of  Utah  are  the  gray  freestone  produced  by  the  Kyune  Graystone 
Company  in  Utah  County,  the  gray  and  red  sandstones  produced 
by  the  Diamond  and  Kyune  Company  the  granite  of  Little 
Cottonwood  Canyon,  Salt  Lake  County,  and  the  oolite  of  Sanpete 
County.  Of  these,  the  gray  kyune  stone  of  which  the  city  and 
county  building  is  constructed  in  Salt  Lake  City  is  considered  the 
favorite  on  account  of  its  excellent  texture,  beautiful  color  and 
evenness.  A  further  account  of  this  stone  will  be  found  in  the 
Utah  Count}'  article.  Kyune  stone  is  so  attractive  and  can  be  pro- 
duced in  such  quantity  that  a  large  export  trade  will  probably 
arise;  and  it  is  now  proposed  that  a  magnificent  building  about 
to  be  erected  in  San  Francisco,  in  which  a  million  and  a  quar- 
ter cubic  feet  will  be  used,  will  be  constructed  of  kyune  gray 
sandstone.  Owing  to  its  density  and  fine  texture,  it  does  not 


MINING.  31 

absorb  moisture,  a  matter  of  little  moment  in  this  country,  but  of 
great  importance  in  humid  climates. 

The  white  granite  of  Little  Cottonwood  has  been  used  in 
the  construction  of  the  famous  Salt  Lake  Temple,  and  the  oolite 
of  Sanpete  County  is  the  stone  of  which  the  beautiful  Manti 
Temple  is  built. 

Hard  sandstone  for  flagging  and  foundations  is  found  in 
many  parts  of  the  Territor}',  but  the  principal  output  is  from  the 
quarries  of  the  Mountain  Stone  Company  and  the  Metropolitan 
Stone  Company  and  other  quarries  near  Park  City,  Summit 
County.  It  is  from  this  region  that  most  of  our  pavements, 
sidewalks  and  stone  steps  are  supplied. 

Large  deposits  of  fine  ma"rble  of  every  hue  are  found  in 
different  parts  of  the  Territory,  from  pure  white  statuary,  half 
translucent,  through  every  color  and  tone  to  jet  black.  Probably 
the  largest  deposit  of  white  marble  is  that  of  the  Wasatch 
Marble  Company  in  Salt  Lake  County,  the  beds  being  forty  to 
fifty  feet  in  thickness  and  of  splendid  quality.  It  can  there  be 
more  easily  and  cheaply  produced  than  in  Vermont,  and  must 
sooner  or  later  attract  the  attention  of  capitalists.  It  is  owned 
by  Salt  Lake  parties.  A  handsome  white  and  black  marble  is 
also  found  in  American  Fork  Canyon,  Utah  County,  where  blocks 
of  any  desired  size  may  be  taken  out.  This  marble  is  especially 
adapted  for  the  construction  of  the  fronts  of  buildings.  In  Cache 
and  Box  Elder  Counties  are  also  great  varieties  of  marble,  and 
excellent  deposits  of  mottled  red  have  been  reported  from  Millard 
County,  consisting  of  a  ledge  two  hundred  feet  in  thickness,  by 
nearly  five  thousand  feet  in  length.  Other  deposits  are  known  to 
exist  near  Logan,  Cache  County,  and  a.  beautiful  white  carbonate 
of  magnesia  near  Nephi,  in  Juab  County.  One  of  the  best  and 
most  ornamental  marbles,  geodic  in  character,  is  found  in  Hobble 
Creek  Canyon,  Utah  County.  Being  of  a  soft  brown  shade  and 
susceptible  of  a  fine  polish,  it  is  highly  ornamental. 

Much  attention  has  been  paid  of  late  to  the  deposits  of 
Mexican  onyx  existing  in  various  parts  of  the  Territory.  North 
of  Deseret,  Millard  County,  Mr.  R.  A.  McBride,  of  Paragonah, 
has  unearthed  a  rich  deposit  which  varies  from  rosewood 
to  mahogany  color,  and  in  Box  Elder  County  some  beautiful  varie- 
ties are  being  quarried  for  market;  but  the  greatest  development 
has  taken  place  in  the  splendid  deposits  of  Utah  County,  lying 
near  the  west  shore  of  Utah  Lake.  The  Mexican  Onyx  Com- 
pany and  some  Lehi  parties  are  separately  working  these  depos- 
its. The  products  are  of  infinite  variety  and  as  beautiful  as  any 
that  have  ever  been  sent  to  market.  Pieces  four  by  six  feet  are 
easily  taken  out,  and  can  be  cut  and  polished  at  a  low  cost. 
Some  fifteen  men  are  employed  in  the  development  of  these  quar- 
ries, and  a  number  of  carloads  have  been  shipped  to  the  east. 

Slate  for  roofing  and  serpentine  for  mantel  pieces    and  simi- 


32  RESOURCES   AND   ATTRACTIONS   OF   UTAH. 

lar  purposes,  are  found  near  Provo,  in  Utah  County,  of  as  fine  a 
quality  as  that  imported  from  Wales.  It  has  no  equal  in  Amer- 
ica. A  finer  grade  of  slate  suitable  for  razor  hones  is  found  in 
the  mountains  west  of  Lehi,  in  Utah  County,  and  in  Millard 
County  a  fine  grained  whetstone  is  to  be  had.  The  kyune  gray- 
stone  is  well  adapted  for  the  manufacture  of  grind-stones. 

Discoveries  of  Lithographic  stone  have  been  made  in  various 
parts  of  the  Territory,  but  so  far  none  has  been  marketed.  Mil- 
lard,  Utah  and  Salt  Lake  Counties  each  claim  to  possess  depos- 
its of  superior  quality.  Near  Cisco,  in  Grand  County,  the  West 
American  Agate  Company  have  been  operating  the  agate  fields 
and  have  spent  some  six  thousand  dollars  in  development. 
Large  boulders  of  Chalcedony,  big  "enough  to  make  table  tops,  are 
there  found  ranging  in  color  from  bloodstone  to  carnelian. 


The  commerce  and  trade  of  Utah  are  confined  to  no  limited 
field,  but  embrace  within  certain  proportions  nearly  all  the 
varied  interests  that  belong  to  the  country  at  large.  In  these 
matters,  as  in  most  others,  while  the  proportions  of  our  opera- 
tions may  not  be  so  great  as  to  excite  wonder  and  admiration,  it 
must  be  admitted  that  in  point  of  variety  no  other  State  or 
Territory  can  view  us  with  disdain.  We  have  examined  into 
the  commercial  activities  of  many  States  separately,  and  have 
been  struck  with  the  prevailing  feature  that  each  State,  as  a 
general  proposition,  maintains  its  activity  in  special  lines,  but 
in  Utah  this  is  not  the  case.  The  range  of  subjects  which  the 
man  of  trade  in  this  Territory  is  called  upon  to  consider  is 
bewildering,  and  as  varied  as  the  numberless  resources,  mineral, 
agricultural  and  industrial,  that  are  briefly  referred  to  in  these 
pages.  If  each  of  these  interests  can  be  developed,  as  we  believe 
they  will  be,  in  proportion  to  their  merits  and  the  opportunities 
that  exist  in  this  Territory,  the  future  of  trade  and  commerce  in 
the  years  to  come  will  be  exceedingly  great.  The  demands  of 
an  active  people,  somewhat  lavish  in  their  requirements,  endowed 
with  energy,  and  learning  to  demand  the  luxuries  as  well  as  the 
necessaries  of  life,  call  for  an  increasing  supply  of  the  staples 
that  engage  the  attention  of  commerce  in  every  country.  Not 
judging  of  trade  by  fluctuations  in  prosperity  which  affect  every 
country,  but  marking  the  progress  of  commerce  by  years  instead 
of  by  months,  the  trade  of  the  whole  Territory  has  increased 
steadily,  until  the  volume  of  today  bears  an  astonishing  relation 
to  that  of  a  few  years  ago.  This  results  principally  from  the  fact 
that  year  in  and  year  out,  with  as  little  oscillation  as  obtains  in 
any  other  region,  the  Territory  has  enjoyed  a  continuous  run  of 


COMMERCE.  33 

comparative  prosperity  for  a  great  number  of  years.  We  do  not 
wish  to  repeat  our  statements,  but  we  cannot  refrain  from  claim- 
ing that  this  is  essentially  due  to  the  variety  of  means  by  which 
the  well-being  of  the  residents  of  Utah  can  be  sustained.  It  is 
only  necessary  to  peruse  these  pages  with  a  fair  degree  of  atten- 
tion to  be  convinced  that  as  against  any  other  commonwealth  in 
the  United  States,  we  have  a  greater  number  of  opportunities  to 
maintain  prosperity  and  that  we  can  advance  in  material 
wealth  in  proportion  as  we  seize  the  advantages  which  are  open 
to  us  in  every  direction.  In  the  larger  cities  such  as  Ogden, 
Provo,  Logan  and  Salt  Lake  City  a  genuine  jobbing  trade  is 
supported.  We  have  wholesale  jobbing  houses  devoted  exclus- 
ively to  dry  goods,  or  clothing,  or  groceries,  hardware,  fruits  and 
produce,  grain,  boots  and  shoes,  machinery  and  other  single 
lines.  Their  trade  is  not  confined  to  this  Territory  alone,  but 
extends  for  hundreds  of  miles  into  other  regions.  In  Salt  Lake 
City  the  Mercantile  Agencies,  Dun's  and  Bradstreet's  have 
important  offices.  Reports  are  made  daily  to  the  trade,  and 
hundreds  of  subscribers  maintain  this  important  feature  of  a 
commercial  center.  Not  a  few  of  the  central  cities  of  the  Terri- 
tory have  traders  and  merchants  engaged  in  gathering  together 
the  products  of '  the  Territory  for  export  to  remote  distances. 
Grain,  seeds,  hides,  wool,  Jive-stock,  tallow,  furs,  skins,  eggs, 
butter,  poultry,  green  fruits  and  vegetables,  dried  fruits  and  such 
things,  usually  sent  out  in  carload  lots,  return  a  considerable 
revenue  to  many  of  the  towns  and  cities  adjacent  to  the  railways. 
Besides  this,  those  engaged  in  developing  the  mineral  and  other 
resources  of  the  Territory,  ship  a  great  many  carloads  of  stone, 
marble,  onyx,  asphaltum,  plaster  of  Paris,  fire  brick,  etc.,  both 
East  and  West.  The  shipment  of  ores  and  bullion,  gold,  silver 
and  copper  is  confined  principally  to  the  work  of  the  banks  and 
smelters,  and  this  more  than  all  else,  brings  the  ready  money 
into  the  avenues  of  trade  and  finance.  Our  imports  are  large,— 
much  too  large  when  we  consider  the  opportunities  for  manu- 
facture that  exist  but  are  neglected  in  our  midst; — but  it  is  not 
to  be  supposed  that  our  net  imports  are  measured  by  the  railroad 
returns,  because  a  large  proportion  of  what  we  bring  in  is  again 
sent  out  into  the  surrounding  country  by  our  jobbers.  In  a  num- 
ber of  the  larger  cities,  some  of  the  retail  stores  are  as  fine  as 
any  in  the  West.  A  statistical  investigation  made  in  1890  showed 
that  there  were  1722  stores  in  Utah,  having  over  twenty  million 
dollars  invested.  The  annual  sales  of  these  establishments 
amounted  to  over  forty-five  millions  of  dollars.  There  were  7887 
employes,  and  their  wages  for  that  year  were  $4,880,112.  It 
would  not  be  easy  to  arrive  at  the  aggregate  of  the  commercial  and 
trade  transactions  of  the  Territory,  but  they  probably  amount  to 
about  two  hundred  millions  of  dollars  annually.  The  general 
credit  of  the  merchants  and  traders  of  Utah  Territory  is  first 

3 


34  RESOURCES   AND   ATTRACTIONS   OF   UTAH. 

class.  Failures  are  comparatively  few.  There  are  forty-four 
banks  in  Utah,  with  an  aggregate  capital  of  $8,178,758,  and 
deposits  estimated  at  about  twice  that  sum.  The  developments 
in  this  direction  may  be  realized  by  a  comparison  with  the  report 
for  1879,  giving  the  banks  of  Utah  as  eleven  in  number,  with 
capital  of  $750,000.  During  the  last  four  years  Salt  Lake  City 
has  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  having  a  Clearing  House.  The 
bank  clearings  last  year  were  $58,456,129.  Salt  Lake  City  has  five 
National  banks,  eight  private  and  state  banks  and  three  savings 
banks,  and  it  is  a  matter  of  local  pride  and  a  proof  of  their 
financial  steadiness  that  during  the  panic  of  1893,  when  so  many 
banks  failed  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  Salt  Lake  City 
kept  a  clear  record,  and  every  one  of  its  banks  kept  "open 
house"  without  even  a  suspicion  of  embarrassment.  The  larger 
cities  of  the  Territory  maintain  post-offices  of  unusual  importance. 
That  of  Salt  Lake  City  is  the  only  post-office  in  the  interior  of 
the  first  class.  It  is  one  of  the  best  arranged  and  managed 
offices  in  the  Union.  Its  money  order  business  last  year  was 
$671,758;  105,000  registered  packages  were  handled,  and  nearly  a 
million  dollars  was  received  in  deposits  from  the  subordinate 
post-offices  of  Utah,  Idaho  and  Nevada.  -Its  local  business  for 
1893  showed  an  increase  of  about  thirty  per  cent,  over  the 
previous  year.  There  are  many  insurance  agents  located  in  the 
principal  cities  of  the  Territory,  representing  fifty  companies. 
Scarcely  any  of  the  principal  fire  and  life  insurance  companies 
doing  business  in  America  are  without  representation  in  Utah. 
Owing  to  the  healthful  climate,  life  insurance  companies  are 
active  in  this  field.  The  sum  total  of  taxable  property  in  the 
Territory,  as  the  returns  by  counties  to  the  Territorial  auditor  for 
1893  show,  is  $115,114,482.  Large  as  this  sum  appears,  it  must 
be  remembered  that  mines,  irrigation  properties  and  some 
industrial  plants  are  exempt  from  taxation,  and  not  included  in 
the  assessment. 

Transportation  Facilities.  —  Nearly  every  year  shows  some 
increase  in  the  railway  mileage  of  the  Territory,  but  in  1893, 
owing  to  the  unpleasantness  in  national  finances,  but  little 
development  was  made,  and  this  consisted  of  short  spurs  con- 
structed from  the  main  arteries  to  stone  and  other  deposits  that 
existed  only  a  few  miles  distant.  Exceptions  to  this,  however, 
were  the  completion  of  a  branch  of  the  Rio  Grande  Western 
through  Sanpete  valley  at  a  cost  of  $250,000,  and  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Salt  Lake  and  Los  Angeles  Railway  to  Saltair  Beach, 
at  a  cost  of  $200,000.  The  Union  Pacific,  on  its'trans-continental 
course  in  connection  with  the  Central  Pacific,  passes  through 
the  Territory  somewhat  north  of  its  center,  taking  in  Ogden  on 
its  main  line.  From  this  point  an  important  branch  strikes 
southward  for  several  hundred  miles,  ending  at  Frisco,  in  Beaver 
County,  and  traversing  on  its  route  the  more  important  of  the 


COMMERCE.  35 

mineral  and  agricultural  districts  lying  along  the  western  flank 
of  the  Wasatch  mountains.  This  line  is  much  more  than  a 
feeder  for  the  Union  Pacific.  It  maintains  a  great  local  traffic, 
and  furnishes  a  valuable  means  of  communication  between  the 
various  counties  of  the  Territory,  and  gives  many  of  them 
opportunities  for  export  that  they  would  not  otherwise  possess. 
This  branch  furnishes  to  the  great  overland  route  a  large  volume 
of  business,  both  inward  and  outward,  and  maintains  active 
operations  in  the  transportation  of  live  stock,  merchandise,  grain 
and  miscellaneous  traffic.  The  Union  Pacific  also  operates  a 
line  running  west  from  Salt  Lake  City  some  twenty  miles  to  the 
famous  Garfield  Beach,  one  of  the  great  bathing  resorts  on  the 
shore  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake. 

Not  less  important  is  the  splendidly  equipped  Rio  Grande 
Western  Railway,  another  trans-continental  line,  which  enters 
the  Territory  near  Grand  Junction  in  the  south-eastern  part  and 
sweeps  to  the  north-west,  to  Ogden,  where  it  also  connects  with 
the  Central  Pacific.  Along  its  line  are  many  important  shipping 
points,  which  supply  it  with  an  enormous  business  in  every 
variety  of  traffic.  It  carries  the  great  bulk  of  the  coal  and  a  large 
proportion  of  the  ores  of  the  Territory.  It  is  a  flourishing  line, 
being  one  of  the  well-paying  railroads  of  the  West,  and  'has  a 
constantly  increasing  local  business,  which  benefits  the  road  as 
well  as  the  district  through  which  it  runs.  It  maintains  a  num- 
ber of  branches  or  feeders,  the  longest  and  most  important  being 
that  to  the  Tintic  range  with  its  mining  interests,  and  another 
into  the  rich  agricultural  districts  of  Sanpete  and  Sevier  valleys. 
Spurs  also  run  to  the  Pleasant  Valley  coal  mines  and  to  the 
mining  districts  of  Bingham  and  Little  Cottonwood.  The  Utah 
Central  is  an  independent  railway  line  from  Salt  Lake  City  to 
the  mines  at  Park  City  in  Summit  County.  An  important  feature 
of  its  traffic  is  derived  from  the  hard  sandstone  quarries  of  the 
Mountain  and  Metropolitan  Stone  Companies,  near  Park  City, 
from  which  point  a  very  heavy  tonnage  is  handled.  The  Salt 
Lake  and  Los  Angeles  railroad  is  another  independent  line, 
standard  guage,  and  finely  equipped,  running  from  Salt  Lake 
City  to  the  great  Salta;r  Beach  bathing  resort,  a  distance  of 
about  fourteen  miles.  The  ultimate  destination  of  this  road, 
however,  is  the  Deep  Creek  mining  region  in  the  western  part 
of  the  Territory,  and  thence  via  Southern  California  to  Los 
Angeles,  an  extension  that  will  shortly  follow  with  an  improved 
condition  in  finances.  In  some  of  the  larger  cities  of  the 
Territory,  notably  in  Salt  Lake  City,  big  railroad  companies  of 
the  East  and  West  maintain  their  branch  offices,  with  resident 
agents.  Among  the  most  active  are  the  agencies  of  the  Santa 
Fe,  Colorado  Midland,  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  &  St.  Paul,  Mis- 
souri Pacific,  Chicago  &  Northwestern,  the  Burlington  and  the 
Denver  &  Rio  Grande.  The  traffic  to  be  secured  by  such 


36 


RESOURCES    AND   ATTRACTIONS  OF    UTAH. 


representation    makes    the    expense    thoroughly     worth    while    to 
these  big  roads. 

Utah  looks  forward  with  great  hopes  to  a  connection  likely 
to  be  established  with  Southern  California  by  the  completion 
of  the  Nevada  Southern,  now  in  actual  operation  for  about  35 
miles  northward  from  Blake  Station  on  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific 
railway  and  in  course  of  construction  through  many  rich  mining 
districts  in  Southern  Utah  to  its  prospective  terminus  at  Cedar 
City  in  the  great  iron  and  coal  regions  of  Iron  County,  from 
which  point  connection  will  then  be  promptly  made  with  the 
Southern  extensions  of  the  R.  G.  W.  &  U.  P.  lines  in  central 
Utah.  Another  railway  projected  to  bring  Utah  into  close  con- 


SAI/TAIR   BEACH   BATHING   RESORT. 


nection  with  Southern  California,  is  the  Utah,  Nevada  and 
California  line,  destined  to  operate  between  Provo  in  Utah 
County,  and  a  point  on  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific.  Still  another 
road  in  contemplation  is  the  Utah  &  Los  Angeles  Air  Line,  to 
be  built  by  a  New  York  company.  The  preliminaries  of  this 
organization  indicate  that  a  route  as  direct  as  possible  will  be 
followed,  in  which  case  St.  George  and  "Dixie1'  will  be  important 
points  on  its  course. 

In  Ogden,  Provo,  and  in  Salt  Lake  City,  street  railways 
have  been  in  operation  for  a  number  of  years.  Two  strong, 
active  companies  furnish  transit  in  Salt  Lake  City  and  their 
equipment  will  compare  favorably  with  that  of  many  of  the 
largest  cities  of  the  East. 


INDUSTRIES.  37 


The  subject  of  home  industries  has  commanded  the  attention 
of  the  people  of  Utah  from  the  time  of  its  first  settlement. 
Isolated  as  it  was  in  the  beginning,  necessity  compelled  the  pro- 
duction of  many  articles  which  other  communities  import,  and 
drove  the  people  into  finding  means  to  manufacture  them.  It 
was  thus  revealed  that  from  the  many  resources  that  lie  about  us 
a  large  proportion  of  the  materials  used  at  home  could  be  made 
here,  and  in  early  times  the  self-supplying  faculty  of  the  residents 
of  this  Territory  was  developed  under  great  difficulties,  and  they 
learned  to  do  many  things  in  a  primitive  way  that  have  since 
been  refined  upon  and  expanded  until  the  quality  and  quantity  of 
the  goods  manufactured  in  this  Territory  are  by  no  means  insig- 
nificant. .  "Home  manufacture"  has  been  so  long  and  so  steadily 
a  familiar  watchword  with  the  people  of  Utah  that  there  are  not 
many  communities  in  the  West  that  have  attempted  such  various 
lines  of  industry.  Not  all  of  these  have  succeeded,4  yet  we  will 
bear  comparison  with  many  older  states.  There  is  a  genuine 
determination  among  the  people  of  Utah  to  establish  and  sustain 
the  manufacturing  interests  of  the  Territory.  We  accuse  our- 
selves and  each  other  of  a  lack  of  interest  in  these  matters,  but 
this  only  shows  that  we  are  alive  to  the  necessity.  The  volume 
of  manufactured  material  produced  is  a  proof  of  our  sincerity  in 
this  direction.  The  leaders  of  the  people  in  early  times  told 
them  that  they  had  all  the  material  necessary  to  make  them  one 
of  the  most  prosperous  and  independent  peoples  on  earth,  if  they 
would  only  make  use  of  the  material  that  nature  had  placed  at 
their  disposal.  Repeated  efforts  under  adverse  circumstances 
gave  the  start  to  a  manufacturing  community,  and  as  early  as 
1850  the  industrial  products  of  Utah  amounted  to  $291,220.  In 
1860  this  amount  had  increased  to  $900,153.  Ten  years  later, 
according  to  the  census  returns,  it  was  2,343,019,  and  in  1890  the 
returns  showed  that  there  were  310  enterprises  of  this  character 
in  operation,  turning  out  a  product  valued  at  $5,836,003.  The 
capital  invested  was  $4,405,881.  The  plants  cost  $3,215,511,  and 
they  used  that  year,  raw  material  worth  $2,137,291.  3274  hands 
were  employed,  and  the  wages  paid  were  $1,597,177.  We  have 
good  reason  to  believe  these  figures  to  be  under  statements  even 
for  1890,  but  were  the  data  of  to-day  obtainable,  a  considerable 
increase  would  now  be  shown;  but  these  dry  figures  must  impress 
every  thoughtful  reader  that  the  people  of  Utah  engage  heartily 
in  the  development  of  their  industrial  possibilities,  and  by  this 
means  maintain  their  prosperity  and  contribute  to  the  well  being 


38 


RESOURCES   AND   ATTRACTIONS    OF   UTAH. 


of  the  population.  In  manufactures,  as  in  the  other  resources 
dwelt  upon  in  this  pamphlet,  we  must  again  refer  to  their  almost 
infinite  variety,  which  sustains  our  proposition  that  the  oppor- 
tunities for  enterprise  in  this  Territory  are  multiform  almost 
beyond  belief.  We  do  not  wish  to  burden  these  pages  with 
statistical  tables,  but  will  content  ourselves  with  a  brief  reference 
to  some  of  the  leading  articles  of  manufacture  produced  within 
the  Territory;  but  before  going  into  details  it  is  proper  to  testify 
to  the  stimulating  effect  upon  our  industries  that  has  been  felt 
through  the  operations  of  the  Deseret  Agricultural  and  Manufac- 
turing Society  of  Utah,  which  for  many  years  has  called  upon 
the  manufacturers  to  gather  together  an  exhibition  of  their  pro- 
ducts to  be  set  before  the  people  at  the  annual  fairs  that  have 


BEET  FIELD,  UTAH  CO.     39  TONS  TO  ACRE. 

been  held  in  Salt  Lake  City.  Manufacturing  and  commerce, 
transforming  crude  substances  into  articles  of  value  and  beauty, 
distributing  and  selling  them;  these  are  the  indispensable  evi- 
dences of  wealth  and  prosperity;  but  manufactures  need  foster- 
ing, and  it  is  proper  that  the  manufacturer  should  be  favored  by 
the  community.  This  has  been  as  well  understood  and  as  fully 
practiced  in  Utah  as  in  any  other  part  of  the  West,  but  during 
the  last  few  months  there  has  been  a  drawing  together  of  those 
engaged  in  industrial  pursuits,  and  an  extensive  movement  is  on 


INDUSTRIES.  39 

foot  to  lighten  the  burdens  of  the  manufacturers  and  to  excite 
the  people  of  the  Territory  to  a  fuller  appreciation  of  the  import- 
ance of  their  labors. 

The  Great  Copper  Plant. — On  the  outskirts  of  Salt  Lake  City 
there  has  been  almost  completed  one  of  the  most  stupendous 
industrial  enterprises  that  exists  in  the  Western  country.  It 
consists  of  the  largest  copper  plant  of  its  kind  in  the  world,  to 
be  owned  and  operated  by  the  Salt  Lake  City  Copper  Manufac- 
turing Company.  It  will  begin  operations  within  a  month  or 
two,  and  by  that  time  $500,000  will  have  been  spent  on  the 
plant  alone.  It  will  have  a  capacity  for  smelting  from  250  to 
300  tons  of  copper  per  day;  the  principal  source  of  ore  supply 
being  from  the  Copperopolis  group  in  Juab  County,  the  Copper 
Mountain  in  Box  Elder  County,  and  the  Nancy  Hanks  group  in 
Nevada.  The  product  of  these  works  will  be  fine  copper  in  the 
shape  of  wife,  bars,  cakes,  sheets  or  ingots  as  the  market  de- 
mands, and  in  the  refining  department  fine  gold  and  silver  will  be 
produced.  Storage  houses  have  been  erected  capable  of  holding 
5000  tons  of  ore,  and  the  heavy  handling  at  the  works  will  be 
done  by  electric  travellers.  Powerful  crushers  will  reduce  the  ore 
ready  for  the  blasting  furnaces,  which  latter  have  a  capacity  of 
150  tons  per  day;  here  ores  will  be  reduced  or  transformed  to 
copper  matte.  Thence  the  product  will  be  taken  to  the  converter 
plant,  from  which  the  copper  will  be  delivered  98  per  cent.  pure. 
It  is  then  ready  for  casting  into  shape  for  treatment  by  the 
electrolitical  process.  This  will  be  accomplished  in  a  building 
364  feet  long  and  180  feet  wide,  supplied  with  five  large  Elwell 
dynamos  with  a  capacity  for  turning  out  forty  tons  of  fine  copper 
per  day.  The  power  for  this  portion  of  the  plant  is  derived  from 
a  one  thousand  horse  power  triple  expansion  engine,  the  one 
which  secured  the  first  prize  in  Machinery  Hall  at  the  World's 
Fair,  and  was  pronounced  the  finest  engine  of  its  kind  ever 
made.  It  is  now  being  put  in  place.  The  process  consists  of 
dissolving  the  copper  in  an  acid  solution,  from  which  the  elec- 
tric current  deposits  it  in  an  absolutely  pure  condition  on  sheets 
of  paper.  During  this  process  the  gold  and  silver  contained  in 
the  copper  are  separately  collected,  and  after  undergoing  a 
cleansing  process  are  ready  for  the  mint.  The  boiler  house  con- 
tains eleven  boilers  and  another  triple  expansion  engine  of  three 
hundred  horse  power  supplies  the  motive  power  for  other  por- 
tions ot  the  plant.  The  operations  of  this  concern  will  not  only 
furnish  a  ready  market  for  the  copper  produced  in  our  midst,  but 
other  industries  will  spring  up  in  the  manufacture  of  copper-ware 
of  every  description.  Salt  Lake  City  contributed  a  '  bonus  of 
$100,000  to  induce  the  location  of  these  works  within  its  limits, 
and  this  alone  should  be  proof  of  the  willingness  of  our  people 
to  contribute  towards  the  inauguration  of  legitimate  manufactur- 
ing institutions. 


4U  RESOURCES   AND   ATTRACTIONS   OF   UTAH. 

Woolen  Mills, — Woolen  mills  are  in  operation  in  Salt  Lake, 
Utah,  Beaver  and  Washington  Counties.  The  largest  and  most 
important  of  these  is  the  Provo  Woolen  Mills,  whose  annual  out- 
put is  $150,000,  and  which  employs  125  hands,  consuming 
400,000  pounds  of  Utah  wool.  A  description  of  this  enterprise 
and  of  another  woolen  mill  at  Springville  is  to  be  found  under 
the  head  of  Utah  County.  A  large  proportion  of  the  cloth 
manufactured  at  Provo  is  sent  to  California,  Colorado  and  other 
states,  where  it  finds  favor  in  competition  with  the  finest  mills 
of  the  East  and  West.  The  Deseret  Woolen  Mills  in  Salt  Lake 
City  is  another  extensive  establishment,  manufacturing  fine 
woolen  dress  goods,  flannels,  yarns  and  a  fine  grade  of  white 
blankets.  Sixty  persons  are  employed  and  about  200,000  pounds 


PROVO  WOOLEN  MILLS. 


of  Utah  wool  used  annually.  A  big  knitting  factory  is  operated 
in  connection  with  these  works.  A  great  deal  of  the  fine  cloth 
manufactured  there  and  at  the  Provo  mills  is  used  by  the  mer- 
chant tailors  of  the  larger  cities,  besides  big  shipments  that  are 
sent  away.  In  their  splendid  wearing  qualities  as  well  as  in  their 
fine  appearance  the  cassimeres  and  other  suitings  turned  out  by 
these  works  are  held  in  high  esteem. 

The  woolen  mills  located  in  other  parts  of  the  Territory  are 
by  no  means  small,  but  their  product  is  chiefly  consumed  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  factories. 

Sugar. — The  Lehi  Sugar  Factory  in  Utah  County  is  one  of 
the  biggest  manufacturing  institutions  that  we  have.  The  pro- 
duction last  year  was  3,877,110  pounds  of  first  quality  granulated 


INDUSTRIES.  41 

sugar.  A  fuller  description  of  this  enterprise  is  included  in  the 
statement  furnished  by  Utah  County  on  another  page.  These 
works  are  the  largest  in  America  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
beet  sugar,  and  they  are  also  the  finest  and  most  perfect  in  their 
appointments.  They  are  looked  upon  as  a  model  institution, 
and  are  usually  visited  by  those  who  propose  the  erection  of 
similar  works  in  other  parts  of  the  country. 

Soap  Works.  —  Soap  making  has  been  carried  on  in  Utah 
for  a  great  many  years,  but  of  late  the  production  has  largely 
increased.  Three  factories  are  in  operation  in  Salt  Lake  and 
one  in  Ogden;  the  output  is  now  100,000  pounds  per  month, 
and  the  local  market  at  least  will  shortly  be  supplied  almost 
entirely  with  soap  of  Utah  manufacture. 

Boots  and  Shoes. — There  are  four  or  five  hundred  hands 
employed  in  Utah  in  shoe  factories,  most  of  them  in  Salt  Lake, 
but  some  in  Ogden,  Logan,  Provo,  Lehi,  Spanish  Fork  and  other 
country  towns.  The  largest  of  these  concerns  are  in  Salt  Lake 
City;  one  of  them  operated  by  the  Zion's  Co-operative  Mercan- 
tile Institution,  employing  about  two  hundred  hands,  and  turning 
out  annually  nearly  $200,000  in  manufactured  material.  This, 
however,  does  not  represent  the  possibilities  of  manufacture  in 
this  direction,  as  it  has  been  computed  that  the  requirements  of 
this  Territory  alone  would  give  employment  to  800  men,  produc- 
ing boots  and  shoes  to  the  amount  of  one  million  dollars. 

Clothing. — Besides  a  very  considerable  amount  of  clothing 
produced  by  the  tailoring  establishments  throughout  the  Territory, 
there  is  one  concern  at  least  that  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  clothing  on  a  large  scale.  The  Zion's  Co-operative  Mercantile 
Institution  at  Salt  Lake  City  employs  sixty  people  on  overalls 
alone,  having  an  output  valued  at  $57,000.  A  great  many  shirts 
and  other  garments  are  also  sold  from  this  and  other  factories. 


SILK    CULTURE   IN  UTAH. 
BY  MRS.  MARGARET  A.  CAINE. 

ONE  of  the  very  important  resources  of  the  Territory  which  attracted 
marked  attention  at  the  Columbian  Exposition,  was  the  Utah  Silk  Exhibit  at 
the  Woman's  Building;  and  we  fully  realize  that  the  opportunity  given  us  to 
exhibit  our  silk  to  the  world  is  due  to  Mrs.  Potter  Palmer,  President  of  the 
Board  of  Lady  Managers,  whose  intelligent  sympathy  and  keen  appreciation 
of  the  needs  of  industrial  women  rendered  her  the  constant  champion  of  this 
worthy  enterprise. 

Today  the  annual  importation  of  unprepared  silk  alone  into  the  United 
States  amounts  to  over  $35,000,000,  and  the  quality  of  silk  which  they  procure 
is  such  that  our  manufacturers  cannot  discover  the  art  of  putting  a  luster  on  it 
which  will  last,  or  give  us  a  fabric  which  will  in  any  way  compete  with  the 
foreign  manufactured  silk.  Apparently  there  is  a  lack  of  knowledge  regarding 
silk  in  our  country.  It  is  supposed  that  the  beauty  and  luster  of  the  oriental 
silk  is  due  to  some  unknown  art  in  manufacturing  and  dyeing,  and  that  all  silk 
is  of  very  nearly  the  same  quality.  This  is  a  mistake.  There  are  as  many 


42  RESOURCES  AND  ATTRACTIONS  OF  UTAH. 

grades  of  silk  as  you  may  expect  to  find  of  fruit  in  an  orchard.  By  thoroughly 
understanding  the  nature  of  the  worms,  and  providing  them  with  proper  food, 
the  grades  may  be  controlled  by  the  producer.  Yet  it  is  as  impracticable  to 
attempt  to  produce  only  the  best  grade  of  silk  as  of  any  agricultural  product. 

The  great  fair  just  over  has  given  us  an  opportunity  to  learn  something  of 
what  has  been  done  in  this  industry.  We  find  that  silk  has  been  produced  to 
a  considerable  extent  in  Connecticut,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania, 
Illinois,  Kansas,  California,  Georgia  and  Florida;  in  fact  in  almost  every  state 
in  the  Union,  and  in  most  cases  by  women.  No  doubt  in  many  parts  of  our 
country  where  the  mulberry  will  grow,  a  much  better  quality  of  silk  can  be  pro- 
duced than  is  now  being  imported;  but  as  the  climate  has  much  to  do  with  the 
quality  and  luster  of  the  silk,  we  feel  confident  that  in  America,  Utah  will  be 
the  home  of  the  silk  worm,  for  our  silk  contains  the  same  luster,  elasticity  and 
durability  as  that  which  can  be  produced  in  any  country  in  the  world. 

This  industry  in  Utah  began  in  the  year  1855  or  1856.  In  the  past  it  has 
been  carried  on  mostly  in  the  homes  of  the  people,  though  much  has  also  been 
done  in  a  public  way.  Brigham  Young,  when  Governor  of  Utah,  procured  a 
supply  of  mulberry  seed  from  France,  and  in  a  few  years  fifty  acres  of  mul- 
berry trees  were  planted  in  orchards  and  groves  of  Salt  Lake  and  Utah 
Counties.  From  that  time  they  have  been  grown  in  all  parts  of  the  Territory, 
in  nearly  every  town  and  village,  and  they  have  flourished  luxuriantly;  it  is 
estimated  that  there  are  at  least  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  mulberry  trees 
in  Utah  at  present. 

The  services  of  some  experienced  sericulturists  from  France  and  Italy, 
have  been  secured  to  give  instructions  to  the  people  in  raising  the  worms. 
Under  the  direction  of  Mrs.  Dunyon,  there  were  raised  in  six  weeks,  seven 
hundred  pounds  of  cocoons,  which  at  that  time  were  worth  $2  oo  per  pound  in 
France. 

In  1876  a  Territorial  organization  was  effected,  called  the  Deseret  Silk 
Association,  (Mrs.  Zina  D.  H.  Young,  President)  for  the  purpose  of  promoting 
the  industry  by  means  of  united  efforts.  Auxiliary  associations  were  formed  in 
several  counties  in  which  women  were  active  directors  and  practical  workers. 
Cocoons  were  raised  in  large  quantities,  but  for  lack  of  means  manufactories 
were  not  permanently  established.  During  one  year  this  association  paid  to 
operators  $1,500,  and  the  quantity  of  silk  prepared  was  four  hundred  pounds. 
There  have  been  raised  in  Utah  over  twenty-eight  thousand  pounds  of 
cocoons. 

Utah  silk  was  exhibited  at  the  Centennial  celebration  in  Philadelphia,  and 
examined  by  experts  who  attested  to  its  excellence,  and  awarded  a  diploma. 
Utah  cocoons  have  been  placed  on  the  market  in  San  Francisco  and  Philadel- 
phia, and  pronounced  of  very  superior  quality.  During  the  failure  of  silk 
worms  in  France,  a  large  quantity  of  eggs  were  sent  there,  which  were  con- 
sidered by  them  to'be  very  good,  and  for  which  we  received  a  very  high  price. 
This  for  a  time  found  a  market  for  large  quantities  of  cocoons  also. 

In  the  manufactories  of  the  East,  little  has  been  done  in  reeling  silk,  and 
as  there  is  no  duty  on  the  unprepared  silk  (while  all  manufactured  silk  is 
imported  under  a  heavy  duty)  they  seem  to  prefer  importing  silk  in  bales. 
Because  of  the  inexperience  of  the  producers  of  silk  in  Utah,  our  reeled  silk 
could  not  pass  the  examination  to  which  it  was  subjected,  therefore  could  not 
be  disposed  of.  At  one  time  the  manufacturing  of  silk  thread  was  quite  exten- 
sively and  successfully  carried  on  by  Judge  Alexander  Pyper  in  Salt  Lake  City, 
and  for  some  time  the  Z.  C.  M.  I.  Shoe  Factory  was  supplied  with  thread, 
which;  it  is  said,  was  very  much  better  than  any  they  have  ever  been  able  to 
import.  It  was  also  much  desired  by  saddle  and  harness  makers  because  of 
its  superior  strength.  This  enterprising  industry  was  brought  to  a  sudden  end 
by  the  death  of  its  promoter,  while  railway  connection  with  the  markets  of  the 
east  ended  the  necessity  for  the  mother  to  make  the  cloth  with  which  she 
clothed  her  family,  and  the  culture  of  silk  was  becoming  a  thing  of  the  past. 
But  we  are  now  being  made  aware  of  the  fact  that  with  our  rapidly  increasing 
population,  every  resource  of  the  country  must  be  fully  developed,  and  we 


INDUSTRIES.  43 

hope  in  the  near  future  to  establish  manufactories  and  to  do  the  work 
perfectly. 

When  the  Board  of  Lady  Managers  sent  an  invitation  to  the  women  of 
Utah,  desiring  them  to  contribute  something  to  the  decoration  of  the  Woman's 
Building,  at  the  World's  Fair,  it  was  decided  that  nothing  would  be  more 
representative  of  the  thrift  and  industry  of  the  Territory  and  so  entirely 
woman's  work  as  a  pair  of  homemade  silk  portiers,  the  design  to  be  the  Sego 
Lily  (the  floral  emblem  of  Utah)  designed  and  embroidered  by  our  own  ladies. 
The  portiers,  as  a  proof  of  our  wise  selection,  were  received  with  profound 
surprise,  it  not  having  been  known  that  such  a  quality  of  silk  could  be 
produced  in  America. 

Mrs.  Margaret  B.  Salisbury,  National  Commissioner  from  Utah,  was  asked 
if  Utah  could  make  an  exhibit  of  silk,  which  might  lead  to  the  encouragement 
of  sericulture  in  the  United  States,  if  an  appropriation  were  obtained  from 
Congress.  The  money  being  procured  the  offer  was  accepted,  although  the 
Fair  was  then  open  As  no  silk  had  been  produced  for  four  years  this  was  no 
easy  task  at  home,  yet  we  succeeded  in  collecting  a  number  of  silk  dresses, 
silk  shawls,  scarfs,  fringes,  hosiery,  knitting  and  sewing  silk  and  twists,  a 
quantity  of  reeled  silk  and  cocoons,  which,  with  the  portiers,  made  our  cases 
both  artistic  and  interesting.  We  also  engaged  a  young  lady,  born  and  reared 
in  Utah,  to  reel,  and  a  woman  to  weave,  and  procured  a  primitive  loom,  reel 
and  twisting  wheel,  with  all  attachments,  which  had  been  used  here  in  the 
early  days.  This  exhibit  attracted  a  great  deal  of  attention  and  in  the  last 
catalogue  issued,  it  was  prominently  mentioned  as  one  of  the  most  interesting 
exhibits  in  the  Woman's  Building,  and  of  especial  interest  to  industrial  women. 
Among  those  who  visited  it  were  many  foreigners,  experienced  in  sericulture, 
who  were  very  much  interested.  One  Frenchman,  who  was  engaged  in 
selling  French  silks  in  America,  said  of  one  piece  of  silk  in  the  exhibit  "that  if 
we  could  produce  silk  of  that  quality,  we  had  an  unknown  source  of  wealth 
which,  if  properly  manipulated,  would  be  more  to  us  than  any  amount  of 
gold."  Many  kindergarten  workers  took  notes  of  every  detail,  and  thought  it 
would  be  a  wonderful  thing  to  introduce  into  their  work.  Women  interested 
in  industrial  homes  were  just  as  anxious  to  investigate  the  work,  and  felt  con- 
fident, that  if  taken  up  in  a  simple  way,  would  furnish  interesting  employ- 
ment for  their  girls,  which  might  in  time  bring  a  very  profitable  remuneration. 
We  sincerely  trust  the  exhibit  will  do  a  great  deal  of  good  in  the  direction  for 
which  it  is  intended,  and  that  we  will  fully  appreciate  the  benefits  which  it  has 
brought  to  us  at  home.  Our  silk  was  examined  by  a  committee  of  Japanese 
under  the  department  of  manufacture,  and  awarded  a  medal  and  a  diploma, 
and  under  the  department  of  agriculture  by  American  experts,  who  also 
awarded  it  a  medal  and  a  diploma.  Besides  this  the  exhibitors  obtained  a 
vast  amount  of  valuable  information  from  the  Fair  and  its  visitors  regarding 
the  methods  of  raising  and  preparing  silk  before  unknown  to  them.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  exhibit  made  at  the  Woman's  Building,  the  ladies  of  Davis  County 
contributed  a  set  of  furniture  to  the  Fair  for  the  ladies'  reception  room  in  the 
Utah  Building  The  pieces,  seven  in  all,  were  upholstered  in  home-made 
silk,  sage  green  in  color,  brocaded  with  a  spray  of  wild  sage,  the  tone 
harmonizing  with  the  other  furnishings  in  the  room.  The  upper  part  of  the 
windows  were  festooned  very  artistically  with  cocoons.  We  feel  that  if  the 
women  of  Utah  can  receive  some  assistance  and  will  take  hold  of  this  industry, 
which  is  so  particularly  adapted  to  women,  and  permanently  establish  it,  it  will 
give  labor  of  a  profitable  nature  to  many  of  our  women  and  be  a  great  benefit 
to  the  nation,  by  keeping  at  home  a  vast  amount  of  money.  The  raising  of 
the  worms  is  a  labor  which  is  extremely  interesting,  and  the  reeling  demands 
an  acute  and  gentle  touch  found  only  in  the  hands  of  women  The  weaving 
furnishes  a  broad  field  for  artistic  work  in  coloring  and  designing,  as  well  as 
light  labor,  and  will  bring  to  any  industrious  woman  a  profitable  remuneration. 

As  has  been  stated,  there  are  thousands  of  mulberry  trees  already  growing, 
the  climate  is  well  adapted  to  the  silk  worm;  the  country  is  free  from  disease 
which  is  so  fatal  in  damp  climates,  and  with  hundreds  of  women  anxious  to 


44  RESOURCES  AND  ATTRACTIONS  OF  UTAH. 

engage  in  the  industry,  things  look  propitious  for  the  development  of  an  in- 
dustry which  will  be  a  source  of  considerable  wealth  and  revenue  to  the 
territory. 

Flouring  Mills. — A  number  of  large  roller  mills  are  in  opera- 
tion in  different  parts  of  the  Territory,  the  principal  ones  being 
located  in  the  large  cities  and  in  the  great  grain  producing  dis- 
tricts of  Cache  and  Sanpete.  Their  product  is  not  excelled  by 
any  flour  made  in  America.  With  fullest  opportunities  for 
selection  of  wheat  for  making  flour  up  to  the  best  standard,  they 
usually  run  all  the  year  round.  Some  of  the  mills  manufacture 
oatmeal,  cracked  wheat,  pearl  barley,  hominy,  etc.,  all  of  very 
high  quality. 

Breweries. — Utah  beer  has  a  high  reputation  wherever  it  is 
introduced,  and  its  manufacture  is  one  of  the  most  important 
industries  of  Salt  Lake  City.  There  are  three  breweries  there, 
the  largest  of  which  makes  20,000  barrels  of  beer  per  annum  and 
bottles  600  dozen  per  day.  They  are  equipped  with  fine  bottling 
works  and  ice  machines.  Considerable  export  business  is  done. 
Aerated  waters  are  also  manufactured  in  Ogden,  Salt  Lake  and 
several  other  of  the  larger  cities,  and  this  is  an  industry  which 
is  rapidly  increasing  in  importance. 

Brick  Making. — This  is  an  important  industry,  carried  on 
largely  in  Weber,  Salt  Lake  and  Utah  Counties,  and  on  a  lesser 
scale  in  many  other  counties  of  the  Territory.  The  quality  of 
brick  manufactured  in  Beaver  County  is  exceedingly  fine.  There 
are  twelve  yards  in  the  neighborhood  of  Salt  Lake  City,  pro- 
ducing about  thirty  million  brick  annually,  and  in  Ogden  several 
yards  have  a  large  business.  A  great  improvement  has  taken 
place  in  the  manufacture  of  brick  in  Utah  during  the  last  two 
years.  A  splendid  collection  of  our  work  was  shown  at  the 
World's  Fair  and  secured  a  prize.  Fire  brick  is  also  manufac- 
tured here  of  a  quality  that  stands  the  highest  test,  and  com- 
mands a  good  price. 

The  charcoal  industry  furnishes  employment  to  a  great  many 
men,  the  product  being  chiefly  consumed  in  the  smelting  opera- 
tions near  Salt  Lake  City.  Emery  and  Utah  Counties  lead  in 
this  industry. 

The  manufacture  of  Portland  cement  is  one  of  the  big  industries 
about  to  be  inaugurated.  A  company  has  invested  $100,000  in 
this  branch  of  manufacture  at  Salt  Lake  City,  with  a  capacity 
of  200  barrels  of  cement  per  day.  They  will  also  manufacture 
tile  brick,  terra  cotta  and  other  cement  products.  There  is  no 
question  that  its  output  will  be  exceptionally  fine  in  quality, 
stopping  the  heavy  importations  of  the  past  few  years  and 
probably  securing  a  large  export  trade. 

The  Machine  Shops  and  foundries  of  the  larger  cities  represent 
a  considerable  investment  and  turn  out  several  hundred  thousand 
dollars  worth  of  manufactured  iron  and  machinery  annually.  A 


INDUSTRIES.  45 

great  deal  of  their  work  consists  of  repairs,  but  several  of  the 
principal  conerns  are  well  equipped  with  improved  appliances  and 
can  manufacture  big  engines  complete. 

Among  the  other  industrial  concerns  operating  in  various 
cities  of  the  Territory,  are  many  saw  mills,  lath  and  planing 
mills,  stone  quarries,  lime  kilns,  potteries,  tanneries,  factories 
for  polishing  gems,  knitting  factories,  canneries  and  concerns 
which  manufacture  brooms,  brushes,  vehicles,  ice,  confectionery, 
mattresses,  crackers,  show  cases,  vinegar,  plaster  of  Paris,  steam 
boilers,  harness,  cut  stone,  paper  boxes,  rubber  stamps,  coffins, 
mosaic  tiles,  picture  frames,  upholstery,  chemicals,  fur  goods, 
gloves,  pickles,  iron  fencing,  etc.  The  James-Spencer-Bateman 
Company  of  Salt  Lake  City  manufacture  lead  pipe,  bar  lead  and 
solder  of  fine  quality,  supplying  Utah  entirely,  and  ship  some 
out  of  the  Territory.  Their  product  for  1893  was  268,083  pounds 
of  lead  pipe,  valued  at  nearly  $30,000.  The  lead  used  was 
refined  by  the  Germania  Lead  Works  in  Salt  Lake  County. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  variety  of  manufacturing  concerns 
which  we  have  described,  opportunities  are  open  for  still  others 
to  be  inaugurated,  which  can  undoubtedly  be  made  to  pay  good 
returns  on  the  amount  invested.  Among  them  have  been 
suggested  cotton  mills,  a  caipet  factory,  paper  mills  to  replace 
those  which  recently  burned  in  Salt  Lake  County;  works  for 
the  manufacture  of  agricultural  implements,  white  lead,  gun- 
powder, whiting,  iron  pipe,  sewer-pipe,  window  glass  and  bottles, 
soda-ash,  putty,  starch,  candles,  paints,  etc.  Application  has 
been  made  by  the  delegate  of  Utah  for  the  establishment  of  a 
branch  mint  at  Salt  Lake  City  for  the  coinage  of  silver. 


UTAH    MANUFACTURERS   BUREAU. 

A  movement  has  recently  been  commenced  by  the  Manufac- 
turers Bureau  of  the  Salt  Lake  Chamber  of  Commerce  which  will 
undoubtedly  encourage  and  support  home  industries  in  this 
Territory.  A  number  of  vigorous  citizens  have  leagued  together 
to  arouse  all  the  people  of  the  inter-mountain  region  to  support 
such  enterprises,  and  by  public  appeals  they  have  excited  a  great 
deal  of  renewed  interest  in  the  subject.  Each  householder  is 
being  supplied  with  a  list  of  the  articles  manufactured,  and  every 
consumer  is  being  urged  to  make  it  his  individual  duty  to  forward 
the  movement.  The  stimulating  effect  of  this  crusade  is  being 
felt  in  every  direction.  The  citizens  generally  are  calling  for 
goods  made  at  home  and  find  that  they  are  superior  in  quality 
and  worthy  of  all  the  endorsement  they  can  give.  New  branches 
of  industry  are  being  considered,  while  great  encouragement  is 
being  given  to  those  that  are  already  engaged  in  industrial  pur- 
suits. An  era  ot  prosperity  seems  to  have  overtaken  those 
engaged  in  home  manufacture,  and  the  war  cry  is  now  "Western 


46  EESOUKCES   AND   ATTRACTIONS   OF   UTAH. 

made  goods  for  Westein  people."  The  attitude  of  the  East  on 
the  silver  and  lead  questions  has  awakened  a  spirit  of  independ- 
ence among  the  people  of  this  Territory,  who  find  that  they  can 
produce  a  vast  amount  of  material  that  has  heretofore  been 
imported.  There  seems  a  unanimous  determination  to  test  this 
point  to  the  utmost,  and  to  their  delight  they  see  that  millions 
of  dollars  may  be  kept  in  their  hands  by  manufacturing  many  of 
the  leading  articles  which  they  have  been  bringing  in  from  afar. 
The  crude  materials  exist  on  every  side  in  abundance,  labor  is 
plentiful  and  willing,  Colorado  and  other  surrounding  States  are 
in  thorough  accord  with  the  movement,  and  the  industrial 
developments  among  the  western  mountains  in  the  near  future 
promise  to  be  of  such  a  magnitude  that  they  will  put  a  new 
phase  on  the  relations  between  the  East  and  the  West. 


RANCH  AND  RANGE  INTERESTS. 

If  our  climate  is  too  dry  for  the  luxuriant  growth  of  grasses 
in  the  valleys  throughout  the  summer,  the  conformation  of  our 
Territory  is  such  that  it  fully  offsets  to  the  stock-raiser  whatever 
drawbacks  may  be  laid  to  the  want  of  summer  rains.  As  the 
feed  begins,  to  give  out  on  the  lower  benches  in  the  spring,  the 
snow  line  is  receding  on  the  foot  hills,  and  stock  is  pastured  at 
higher  altitudes  as  the  season  advances,  until  in  the  midsummer 
they  graze  among  the  grassy  valleys  of  the  mountains  and  on 
the  cool  high  plateaus.  When  winter  approaches  they  gradually 
retire  again,  and  by  the  time  of  general  snow-fall  are  roaming 
over  low  wide  ranges  where  they  cannot  exist  in  summer  for 
heat  and  want  of  water.  This  changing  life  brings  them  health 
and  hardihood.  They  have  a  "summer  out"  every  year,  and  are 
thus  developed  into  the  sturdiest  races  of  America.  The  ranges 
of  one  season  are  held  in  reserve  at  another.  During  the  sum- 
mer, on  the  millions  of  acres  of  the  interior  basins,  too  dry  for 
summer  ranges,  the  native  bunch  grass  is  maturing  and  cures, 
standing,  ready  for  the  immense  flocks  and  herds  which  will 
winter  there.  In  these  regions  the  snow-fall  is  light,  enough  to 
furnish  water  for  the  stock,  but  not  to  bury  the  dry  fattening 
bunch  grass,  famous  for  its  nutritive  qualities.  Such,  in  round 
terms,  is  the  manner  of  raising  cattle,  horses  and  sheep  in  Utah, 
and  the  quintupling  of  these  interests  in  the  last  six  years  is 
sufficient  proof  of  its  excellence.  Add  to  these  products  the 
wool,  hides,  honey,  butter  and  cheese,  dried  fruits,  wine  and 
cider,  vinegar  and  sorghum,  hogs  and  other  products  of  ranch 
and  range,  and  the  amount  which  this,  with  all  our  resources, 
contributes  to  the  revenue  of  the  Territory  is  extremely  import- 
ant. In  1890  it  was  estimated  that  the  value  of  the  possessions 
of  ranch  and  range  amounted  to  $12,616,697.25;  but  the  Terri- 
torial statistician  himself  expressed  a  belief  that  the  unreported 


INDUSTRIES.  47 

possessions  bent  upon  escaping  the  assessor's  valuation  were 
fully  one-half  as  much  again. 

The  Cattle  interests  of  Utah  are  receiving  great  attention, 
and  a  marked  improvement  in  the  breeds  has  been  noticed  during 
the  past  few  years.  Durham,  Hereford,  and  Holstein  are  in 
principal  favor.  Exports  are  made  nearly  every  year,  but  by  far 
the  greater  portion  of  our  beef  is  consumed  at  home.  More  than 
one  excellent  judge  has  said  that  there  is  no  place  where  they 
eat  such  good  juicy  beef  as  in  Utah. 

Sheep.—  There  are  probably  3,000,000  sheep  in  Utah,  valued 
at  nearly  $6,000,000.  The  wool-clip  approximates  12,000,000 
pounds  per  annum.  A  sudden  grading  up  has  taken  place 
among  large  holders  in  the  past  three  years,  from  the  original 
Mexican  stock  to  Cotswold  and  Spanish  and  French  merinos. 
This  has  given  good  results  in  the  fineness  of  wool.  The  sheep 
industry  is  pretty  well  distributed  throughout  the  Territory, 
Sanpete  County  taking  the  lead. 

Utah  range  horses  are  better  animals  for  their  weight  and 
size  than  any  others  in  America.  They  have  been  crossed  for 
the  past  few  years  from  the  native  to  the  Hambletonian  and 
other  leading  breeds  of  America.  Utah  is  now  therefore  an 
important  horse  market  with  a  wide  reputation  for  the  excellence 
of  her  stock,  for  light  driving  and  saddle  horses.  They  excel  in 
fleetness,  wind  and  in  endurance,  and  for  several  years  past  work 
and  farm  horses,  fancy  roadsters,  fine  carriage  and  heavy  freight 
horses  have  been  raised.  The  mountain  qualities  of  strong  feet 
and  lungs  remain  with  the  horse  after  he  has  been  exported,  and 
for  this  reason  Utah  horses  are  in  steady  demand.  Cache  valley 
in  particular  has  produced  some  magnificent  animals,  and  more 
than  one  famous  trotter  has  been  born  and  reared  in  this  Terri- 
tory to  make  a  name  for  himself  among  the  fast  horses  of  the 
East. 

Among  other  articles  of  export  which  bring  us  revenue  are 
sheep  pelts,  hides,  flint  deer-hides  and  buckskin,  furs,  such  as 
muskrat,  wolf,  beaver,  lynx,  fox,  bear,  badger,  mink,  wild-cat  and 
others  are  also  shipped  in  considerable  quantities.  The  output 
of  honey  alone  approaches  $100,000.  The  production  of  butter 
is  not  less  than  $500,000;  beeswax,  cheese  for  home  consump- 
tion, eggs  and  poultry  also  contribute  revenue  to  the  husbandman. 
Garfield  Count}'  is  the  greatest  producer  of  cheese,  although 
Cache  Valley  people  give  it  considerable  attention.  Fifty 
thousand  gallons  of  wine,  worth  as  many  dollars,  are  annually 
produced  in  the  southern  portion  of  the  Territory;  cider  in 
many  places;  dried  fruits,  especially  peaches,  form  a  staple 
article  of  trade,  a  number  of  carloads  being  annually  exported. 
They  become  very  dry  and  are  not  so  handsome  as  some,  but 
for  flavor  and  real  value  they  command  the  highest  price  in 
Chicago  and  other  Eastern  cities.  These  figures  are  given  at 


48  RESOURCES   AND   ATTRACTIONS   OF   UTAH. 

the  risk  of  rendering  our  pages  tedious,  but  they  cannot  fail  to 
be  convincing.  We  feel  that  the  mere  assertion  that  such  a 
wonderful  variety  of  products  issue  from  our  ranges,  farms  and 
farm-yards  might  well  give  rise  to  doubts  as  to  the  truth  of  such 
statements;  but  every  claim  made  in  this  work  is  based  upon 
indisputable  facts,  susceptible  of  proof;  and  if  these  things  can 
be  truthfully  said,  they  should  not  be  withheld  from  the  reader 
who  desires  to  infoim  himself  regarding  the  sources  of  prosperity 
that  exist  in  this  wonderful  Territory.  But  that  they  might 
become  tiresome  far  greater  details  are  at  hand  and  might  be 
given. 


SOCIAL*  AFF^I^S  AflD 


For  forty  years,  the  peculiar  social  conditions  that  existed 
in  Utah  gave  it  a  certain  renown  that  made  it  of  interest  to 
tourists  and  travelers,  but  this  sort  of  regard  was  not  calculated 
to  forward  our  material  affairs.  The  attention  of  visitors  was  so 
taken  up  with  the  social  and  religious  aspects  of  the  people  liv- 
ing here  that  enquiry  was  seldom  made  as  to  the  resources  of  the 
Territory.  Although  there  never  was  a  'more  peaceful  people, 
and  acts  of  violence  were  very  rare,  dissentions  and  turbulent 
arguments  were  plenty  and  party  prejudice  was  intense.  This 
lased  until  five  or  six  years  ago,  and  had  much  to  do  with  the 
benighted  conditions  of  the  people  of  the  country  as  to  our  real 
opportunities  for  material  advancement.  When  a  visitor  of  any 
judgment  comes  to  a  new  country  he  generally  enquires  as  to  its 
resources;  he  wants  to  know  about  the  agriculture  of  the  coun- 
try, its  manufactures,  mineral  and  other  advantages;  but  up  to 
a  few  years  ago,  every  visitor  wanted  to  have  a  Mormon  pointed 
out  to  him,  wanted  to  know  how  many  wives  every  man  had 
whom  he  met,  wanted  to  see  the  Mormon  churches,  and  wanted, 
above  all,  to-do  a  little  missionary  work  of  a  religious  character; 
but  he  rarely,  very  rarely,  thought  to  enquire  why  our  climate 
was  the  very  best  under  the  sun,  why  we  could  and  did  produce 
the  greatest  crops  known  to  agriculture,  why  we  led  the  whole 
mountain  country  in  all  the  refining  arts  of  peace,  or  what  truth 
there  was  in  the  report  that  we  had  a  greater  number  of  sources 
of  prosperity  than  any  other  state  in  the  Union.  Today,  how- 
ever, such  a  visitor  would  be  looked  upon  as  a  back-number,  — 
the  old-time  enquiries  would  stamp  him  as  one  who  had  been 
stranded  on  the  shores  of  time,  and  had  let  the  world  run  past 
him.  In  a  most  courteous  way  he  would  be  given  to  understand 
that  we  have  forgotten  how  to  answer  such  questions.  The 
practices  to  which  they  refer  have  been  relegated  to  ancient  his- 
tory, and  we  have  other  things  to  tell  him  which  pertain  to  the 
present  and  the  future,  —  facts  more  wonderful  and  more  essential, 
such,  for  instance,  as  those  which  fill  the  pages  of  this  book, 


50  BESOURCES  AND  ATTRACTIONS  OF  UTAH. 

and  by  the  mere  telling  of  our  resources  of  land  and  air  and  sea, 
his  curiosity  regarding  the  history  of  the  past  is  effaced  and  a 
new  interest  is  aroused.  Then  he  begins  to  understand  Utah 
as  it  is  to-day,  and  realizes  that  the  people  of  Utah  are  fra- 
ternal, progressive  and  well  abreast  of  the  American  tide  of 
advancement;  that  in  each  town  and  hamlet,  there  is  a  marked 
degree  of  ambition  toward  refinement  and  intellectual  develop- 
ment,— for  there  is  not  a  settlement  without  its  literary  and 
improvement  association, — and  in  music,  painting,  oratory,  social 
culture,  and  in  general  educational  matters,  the  people  occupy 
the  front  ranks  with  any  Western  commonwealth.  Among  the 
other  good  things  that  Utah  has  to  say  for  herself,  these  are  not 
to  be  overlooked,  for,  notwithstanding  the  allurements  of  better 
health  and  prosperity,  many  excellent  people  accustomed  to 
social  advantages  and  refinements,  have  hesitated  to  make  a 
home  in  the  West,  because  they  fear  to  lose  the  opportunities  of 
intellectual  culture  for  themselves  and  their  children.  There 
need  be  no  such  fear.  In  the  larger  cities  of  Utah,  there  are  art 
associations,  literary  clubs,  a  university  club,  press  club,  lodges 
of  all  the  leading  Masonic,  Odd-Fellow,  and  other  secret  aid 
societies,  fine  churches  of  nearly  every  religious  denomination, 
dramatic  associations,  public  libraries,  and  similar  institutions 
that  go  to  make  up  a  cultured  environment.  At  a  recent  exhibi- 
tion of  paintings  by  the  Society  of  Utah  Artists,  a  great  many 
original  paintings  of  much  merit  proved  that  in  this  branch  of 
art  we  have  developed  further  than  any  other  state  between 
Illinois  and  California.  Several  Utah  artists  were  represented  at 
the  World's  Fair,  and  some  of  their  works  were  purchased  by 
the  City  of  Chicago  for  the  permanent  exhibition.  In  music, 
Utah  has  accomplished  so  much  that  it  deserves  to  be  treated  in 
a  separate  article,  and  the  following  has  been  compiled  for  this 
work  by  Dr.  Ellen  B.  Ferguson,  of  Salt  Lake  City: 


HISTORY  OF  MUSIC  IN  UTAH. 

The  sovereignty  of  the  realm  of  music  in  America  had  long  been  divided 
among  the  older  cities  of  the  republic,  when  in  1893,  Utah,  the  young  giant  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  entered  the  arena  to  contest  for  the  World's  Fair  prizes, 
and  sent  to  Chicago  a  picked  choir  of  250  voices  to  compete  with  the  artistic 
and  famed  choral  organizations  of  the  Old  and  New  World,  for  the  crowning 
honors  of  the  World's  Fair  Eisteddfod.  Much  admiration  was  expressed  for 
the  nerve  and  pluck  of  this  ambitious  but  hitherto  undistinguished  competitor, 
but  this  was  changed  to  astonishment  and  wonder,  when  the  Utah  choir  stepped 
triumphantly  to  the  second  place  among  the  successful  contestants,  and  almost 
snatched  from  the  hrows  of  the  Cymric  bards  the  laurels  of  their  forefathers. 
The  following  brief  history  of  music  in  Utah  will  show  the  gradual  develop- 
ment of  the  divine  art  in  this  Territory,  and  the  steps  that  led  to  the  attainment 
of  the  present  elevated  standard  of  musical  taste  and  culture  in  the  community, 
and  rendered  possible  the  magnificent  achievements  of  the  Salt  Lake  choir. 

In  the  growth  of  civilization,  and  the  unfolding  of  social  development, 
music  and  her  twin  sister  poetry  take  precedence  of  all  the  arts,  and  present  an 


SOCIAL   AFFAIRS   AND   AMUSEMENTS.  61 

unmistakable  index  to  national  character.  The  pioneer  settlers  who  crossed 
the  Rocky  Mountains  to  make  homes  in  the  valley  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake, 
were  certain  in  the  early  stage  of  their  peculiar  civilization  to  manifest  the 
genius  of  music,  and  the  hosts  of  Israel  beguiled  many  an  hour  of  their  weary 
march  across  the  continent  by  singing  the  songs  of  Zion. 

The  first  musical  organization  formed  in  Utah  was  a  brass  band  composed 
of  fifteen  musicians,  under  the  leadership  of  Captain  William  Pitt,  which  com- 
menced its  labors  in  1850.  and  for  several  years  furnished  the  music  on  every 
anniversary  and  local  celebration  and  assisted  the  first  dramatic  association  in 
its  representations.  In  1851  Dominico  Ballo,  an  Italian,  highly  endowed  with 
the  musical  genius  of  his  race,  came  to  Salt  Lake  City  and  electrified  the 
people  with  his  performances  on  the  clarionet,  on  which  instrument  he  was 
unrivaled,  both  in  tone,  style  and  execution.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he  organ- 
ized "Ballo's  Band"  of  twenty  instruments,  viz.,  seven  B  flat  clarionets,  one 
E  flat,  played  by  himself;  two  piccolos,  two  first  cornets,  two  second  cornets, 
one  ophicieide.  three  bass  horns,  one  tenor,  trombone,  and  drums.  This  com- 
bination created  great  excitement  on  its  first  appearance,  and  continued  to 
gain  power  and  prestige  by  its  skillful  rendition  of  some  of  the  most  difficult 
compositions  of  the  day.  Ballo  was  a  fine  composer,  though  but  few  of  his 
works  survive  and  his  name  will  always  be  held  in  reverence  as  the  most 
cultured  of  the  musical  pioneers  of  Utah. 

In  1853  David  O.  Calder,  the  pioneer  class  teacher  of  vocal  music  came  to 
Salt  Lake  City,  and  settled  over  Jordan  where  he  taught  the  first  singing 
school  in  the  Territory.  In  1861  he  organized  two  classes  of  two  hundred 
members  each,  for  instruction  in  the  Curwen  tonic  sol-fa  method,  which  was 
the  first  introduction  of  the  system  in  America.  He  compiled,  arranged  and 
printed  all  the  class  books  he  used.  In  1862  Mr.  Calder  organized  the  Deseret 
Musical  Association,  composed  of  two  hundred  picked  singers  from  the 
different  classes  under  his  tuition  This  society  gave  several  concerts  in  the 
theater  and  Tabernacle  with  marked  success,  and  during  its  existence  stimu- 
lated musical  culture  in  the  community. 

In  1862  Professor  Charles  J.  Thomas,  who  had  for  years  been  associated 
with  some  of  the  principal  theater  orchestras  in  London,  came  to  Salt  Lake 
City  and  at  once  took  charge  of  the  orchestra  in  the  new  Salt  Lake  Theater, 
then  just  opened,  and  under  his  leadership  it  maintained  for  several  years  a 
high  standard  of  excellence.  As  conductor  of  the  Tabernacle  Choir,  Professor 
Thomas  did  some  creditable  work,  and  he  long  held  a  ruling  musical  position. 

Professor  John  Tullidge  also  deserves  mention  at  this  time  as  a  fine  tenor 
singer  and  composer,  and  his  name  will  be  remembered  as  long  as  his  anthem, 
"How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains,"  delights  the  ears  of  a  Salt  Lake 
audience.  1_^. 

The  man  who  did  most  for  the  early  musical  progress  of  Salt  Lake  City 
and  the  establishment  of  the  legitimate  profession,  is  undoubtedly  Professor 
George  Careless.  Born  in  London,  and  trained  with  some  of  the  best  instru- 
mentalists of  the  day,  under  the  batons  of  such  masters  as  Sir  Michael  Costa, 
Sir  Jules  Benedict  and  other  famous  conductors,  Mr.  Careless  brought  to  Salt 
Lake  City,  in  1865,  such  musical  genius,  brilliant  execution  and  talent  for 
leadership,  as  produced  a  complete  revolution  in  musical  circles,  and  created 
quite  a  furore  of  enthusiasm  among  the  music  loving  people  of  the  community. 
During  the  earlier  years  that  he  waved  the  baton  over  the  theater  orchestra, 
he  produced  a  number  of  musical  plays,  including  Macbeth,  The  Brigand, 
Aladdin  and  Cinderella — for  the  two  latter  he  composed  all  the  music,  consist- 
ing of  solos,  duets,  choruses  and  dramatic  interludes.  During  this  engagement 
he  conducted  the  first  opera  ever  given  in  Utah,  "The  Grand  Duchess,"  by  the 
Howson  troupe. 

In  1875  the  great  musical  event  of  the  city  was  the  performance  of  the 
oratorio  of  the  Messiah  by  the  Philharmonic  Society,  under  the  training  and 
leadership  of  Professor  Careless,  with  over  two  hundred  singers  and  a  full 
orchestra.  The  performance  was  a  great  musical  triumph,  and  was  pronounced 
by  the  critics  of  the  day  a  presentation  far  superior  both  in  its  vocal  and 


52  RESOURCES  AND  ATTRACTIONS  OF  UTAH. 

orchestral  merit,  to  one  given  of  the  same  oratorio  in  San  Francisco,  with 
Madame  Anna  Bishop  and  other  vocal  celebrities  in  the  principal  parts.  In 
the  instrumentation,  the  first  violins  and  the  cornet  obligate,  by  Mr.  Mark 
Croxall,  were  particularly  fine,  while  among  the  vocalists,  the  palm  of  excel- 
lence belonged  without  any  question  to  Mrs.  Careless,  the  wife  of  Professor 
Careless,  whose  rendition  of  the  aria,  "1  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,"  was 
simply  perfection.  Her  pure,  sweet,  bell-like  tones,  and  exquisite  delivery, 
intense  with  feeling,  rose  almost  in  this  selection  to  the  exalted  pitch  of  epic 
song.  The  fact  that  this  oratorio  could  be  executed  in  such  perfection  by  a 
local  association,  and  call  out  a  cultured  audience  fully  capable  of  appreciating 
such  music,  proves  that  Salt  Lake  City  even  then  was  one  of  the  great  musical 
centers  of  the  world,  a  reputation  that  her  subsequent  history  proudly  main- 
tains Professor  Careless  also  conducted  the  Parepa  Rosa  concerts  in  1868, 
the  Ann  i  Bishop  concert  in  the  Tabernacle,  and  the  grand  Wilhelmj  concerts 
in  the  Theater  in  1880,  and  received  from  that  great  virtuoso  the  highest  praise 
and  many  marks  of  personal  esteem. 

In  1879  Professor  Careless  gave  Sullivan's  opera  of  "Pinafore,"  and  later 
"The  Mikado,"  both  brilliant  successes,  and  rendered  exclusively  by  home 
talent,  and  in  1885  he  organized  the  largest  local  orchestra  ever  brought  together 
in  this  city,  consisting  of  forty-five  members.  During  his  partnership  in  the 
musical  business  with  Mr.  D.  O.  Calder,  the  firm  imported  a  large  number  of 
pianos,  organs,  brass  and  string  instruments  of  all  kinds,  and  published  the 
"Salt  Lake  Musical  Times,"  the  first  musical  publication  issued  west  of  Chicago. 
For  fourteen  years  Professor  Careless  was  the  trainer  and  conductor  of  the 
Tabernacle  Choir,  and  by  his  faithful  and  unwearied  labors  laid  the  foundation 
of  that  artistic  excellence  which  rendered  its  recent  brilliant  success  possible. 
To  Mrs.  Careless,  who  was  for  several  years  the  leading  soprano  of  the  choir, 
belongs  by  right  of  her  rare  genius  the  highest  niche  of  fame  among  our  musical 
stars.  With  a  voice  of  phenomenal  purity  and  resonance,  united  with  the  most 
perfect  control  and  culture,  she  so  educated  Salt  Lake  City  audiences  to  quality 
and  sublimity  in  music  that  only  a  Patti  could  sing  here  without  being  adversely 
compared  with  her. 

1  he  musical  history  of  Salt  Lake  City  would  be  incomplete  without 
prominent  mention  of  the  grand  organ  in  the  Tabernacle.  When  it  was 
commenced  in  1866,  all  the  material  necessary  for  building  it  had  to  be  hauled 
across  the  plains  and  over  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  wagons.  It  shows  how 
deeply  the  love  of  music  was  rooted  in  the  hearts  of  the  early  settlers  in  Utah, 
when  in  the  face  of  such  almost  insuperable  obstacles,  they  planned  and 
successfully  carried  to  completion  the  erection  of  such  a  magnificent  instru- 
ment, at  that  time  the  second  largest  in  the  world.  The  architect  and  designer 
of  this  great  organ  was  Mr.  Joseph  Ridges,  who  worked  on  it  for  many  years, 
but  to  Mr.  Johnson,  belongs  the  credit  of  bringing  it  to  its  present  finished 
perfection.  It  has  four  manuals  and  pedals,  fifty-seven  stops,  and  2,648  pipes, 
supplied  with  wind  by  three  large  bellows,  operated  by  two  hydraulic  motors. 
In  its  completed  fo?  m,  situated  in  one  of  the  most  perfect  acoustic  buildings 
in  the  world,  it  is  justly  an  object  of  pride  to  our  city,  and  the  one  grand 
admiration  of  strangers. 

Wht-n  Professor  Careless  resigned  the  leadership  of  the  Philharmonic 
Society,  Professor  Radcliffe  came  to  the  city  and  took  the  vacant  position,  and 
a  year  later  gave  the  "Creation"  in  the  theater  with  marked  success.  Professor 
Radrliffe  is  a  great  organist,  and  his  recitals  given  on  the  Tabernacle  organ 
prove  his  complete  mastership  of  that  noble  instrument,  and  have  won  for  him 
an  enviable  reputation  through  all  the  Rocky  Mountain  region. 

In  1878,  in  order  to  meet  the  growing  demand  for  a  more  advanced  musical 
education,  the  Utah  Conservatory  of  music  was  opened  in  Salt  Lake  City,  with 
Dr.  Ellen  B.  Ferguson  as  director  This  institution,  devoted  to  the  study  of 
music  in  all  its  branches,  included  systematic  courses  for  the  voice  and  all 
instruments  in  common  use,  with  instruction  in  musical  theory,  notation,  tone, 
reading  and  elocution,  and  was  for  several  years  the  leading  school  of  music  in 
the  Territory;  many  of  its  pupils  are  among  our  best  amateur  musicians  and 


SOCIAL   AFFAIRS   AND   AMUSEMENTS.  53 

vocalists  today.  Among  our  local  musicians  also  may  be  mentioned  Professor 
Joseph  J.  Daynes,  pupil  of  G.  W.  Morgan  of  New  York,  who  has  presided  at 
the  Tabernacle  organ  at  the  choir  services  since  1867,  Professor  Beesley,  and 
Professor  Orson  Pratt,  both  able  teachers  of  the  piano,  harmony  and  counter- 
point. 

Among  our  noted  violin  soloists,  Mr.  Willard  Weihe  stands  in  the  front 
rank.  A  protege  of  Ole  Bull,  for  whom  he  played  at  the  early  age  of  ten 
years,  he  has  by  force  of  his  genius  and  perseverance  worked  himself  up  to  the 
highest  position,  and  under  the  tuition  of  the  celebrated  Vieuxtemps  developed 
a  marvelous  technique  that  has  rarely  been  equalled  except  by  a  virtuoso. 
His  exquisite  rendition  of  the  works  of  the  great  masters  is  at  once  an  inspira- 
tion and  an  artist's  dream. 

In  1881,  Professor  H.  S.  Krouse  came  to  Salt  Lake  City,  and  at  once 
established  himself  as  a  first-class  pianist  and  teacher,  and  during  his  residence 
here  has  steadily  risen  in  the  appreciation  of  all  lovers  of  classical  music,  until 
he  now  stands  at  the  head  of  his  profession  with  a  reputation  second  to  none 
as  a  teacher  of  the  piano  and  higher  techniques.  He  excels  as  a  conductor  of 
opera  and  concert,  and  his  representation  of  Fatinitza  was  a  brilliant  and 
artistic  performance.  In  this  opera  Miss  Jennie  Hawley  (now  Mrs.  H.  C. 
Wpodrow),  a  pupil  of  Professor  Krouse  took  the  title  role,  in  which  her  ex- 
quisite contralto  voice  was  heard  to  good  advantage.  In  setting  before  his 
pupils  a  high  standard  of  musical  taste  and  culture,  and  encouraging  the  study 
of  the  works  of  the  most  eminent  composers,  Professor  Krouse  has  done  more 
for  the  advancement  of  classical  and  high  art  music  than  any  one  else  in  the 
community,  and  many  of  his  pupils  have  become  creditable  teachers;  among 
whom  special  mention  must  be  made  of  Mr.  Joseph  Mclntyre,  at  present  an 
able  and  successful  teacher  in  Oneida,  N.  Y.  The  annual  recitals  given  by 
Professor  Krouse's  pupils  are  classical  entertainments  of  undoubU  d  merit. 
The  programme  for  the  coming  recital  includes  concertos  by  Henselt.  Chopin 
and  Mendelssohn,  with  orchestral  accompaniment  on  second  piano,  also 
compositions  by  Liszt,  Liebling,  Beethoven,  Rubenstein,  Gottschalk  and 
Wieniawski,  rendered  by  a  number  of  his  advanced  pupils,  who  give  promise 
of  still  greater  proficiency  in  the  near  future. 

A  long  list  of  performers  on  piano,  organ,  violin  and  other  instruments 
might  be  given,  which  together  with  a  number  of  vocalists  of  unusual  ex- 
cellence, justify  the  claim  that  we  are  in  Utah  a  music  loving  and  appreciative 
people,  and  that  no  territory  and  but  few  states  can  equal  us  in  the  progress 
made  in  the  divine  art.  Especially  in  this  the  truth  with  regard  to  choral 
music.  Salt  Lake  leads  with  the  largest  church  choir  in  the  world,  viz  ,  the 
Tabernacle  Choir  with  six  hundred  members  enrolled  The  Choral  Society 
with  three  hundred  members;  thirty  choirs  belonging  to  the  various  churches 
in  the  city,  averaging  at  least  twenty  voices  each,  making  a  grand  total  of 
fifteen  hundred  choir  singers  in  this  city  alone.  Add  to  these  the  two  I  undred 
and  fifty  choirs  in  the  various  towns  and  settlements,  together  witn  all  the 
Sunday  school  choristers  in  the  territory,  and  Utah  may  well  claim  to  be  the 
land  of  music,  song  and  sunshine. 

To  Prof.  Evan  Stephens,  a  practical  musician  and  composer  of  considerable 
native  genius,  as  well  as  professional  training,  is  due  the  success  of  the  general 
movement  in  class  teaching  in  the  Sunday  Schools  in  the  Territory,  Possessed 
of  rare  personal  magnetism,  a  born  musical  leader,  with  perfect  choral  control, 
he  sways  the  hundreds  of  children  on  the  stage  with  a  few  simple  movements 
of  his  baton,  maintaining  a  perfect  tempo  with  the  most  delicate  variations  of 
forte  and  piano.  The  concert  of  National  Sonsjs  given  in  the  Tabernacle  on 
February  22nd,  1893,  by  twelve  hundred  children  under  fifteen  years  of  age, 
was  one  of  his  most  unique  efforts,  and  was  repeated  seven  times  to  large  and 
enthusiastic  audiences.  Its  success  demonstrated  the  possibility  of  a  high 
standard  of  musical  training  for  children,  thus  educating  a  generation  of 
musicians  who  will  in  future  years  maintain  Utah's  musical  supremacy  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  The  greatest  achievement  of  Professor  Stephens'  career 
has  been  the  training  and  successful  competition  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 


54  RESOURCES  AND  ATTRACTIONS  OF  UTAH. 

members  of  the  Tabernacle  Choir  at  the  World's  Fair  Eisteddfod.  The  three 
competitive  choruses  were  "Worthy  is  the  Lamb"  (Messiah),  "Blessed  are  the 
Men"  (Elijah),  and  "Now  the  Impetuous  Torrents  Rise"  (David  and  Saul), 
and  these  had  been  practised  for  many  months  by  the  trained  choirs  who 
entered  the  contest  for  the  World's  Fair  prizes.  The  Utah  choir,  who  had  less 
than  three  months  for  preparation,  sang  the  numbers  without  copies,  and 
carried  off  the  second  prize  of  $1,000.00,  and  in  the  opinion  of  many  who  heard 
them  were  entitled  to  the  first  honors.  The  journey  of  the  choir  to  and  from 
Chicago  was  a  perfect  ovation.  Performances  were  given  in  six  of  the  principal 
cities  en  route,  and  the  greatest  enthusiasm  was  manifested  by  all  the  people 
who  attended  their  concerts,  while  the  press  was  unstinted  in  praise  of  their 
efforts.  Utah's  triumph  in  Chicago  is  only  the  stimulus  to  greater  endeavor, 
and  the  pledge  of  more  brilliant  successes  in  the  future.  Proud  as  we  may 
justly  be  of  our  past  musical  achievements  and  present  standing,  our  future 
possibilities  are  far  more  glorious,  and  under  the  leadership  of  such  artists  as 
Krouse,  Careless,  Stephens,  Radcliffe  and  Weihe,  Utah  is  destined  to  become 
world-famed  for  her  unequalled  musical  excellence  and  progress. 

The  scenic  attractions  of  Utah  are  of  world-wide  fame.  The 
noble  scenery  of  a  thousand  canyons  and  valleys,  with  their 
snowy  peaks,  forests,  cliffs,  cascades  and  waterfalls, — the  Great 
Salt  Lake,  the  Grand  Canyons  of  the  Colorado,  the  wild  gorges 
of  Southern  Utah,  and  the  varied  landscapes  of  the  great 
Uintah  and  Wasatch  ranges  have  inspired  artists,  poets  and 
travelers  since  the  earliest  days. 

An  element  of  great  beauty  in  our  mountain  scenery  is  the 
great  number  of  small  fresh  water  lakes  that  exist  among  the 
upper  mountains.  They  are  usually  of  glacial  origin,  clear  and 
deep,  and  lie  half  hidden  among  the  pine  forests  which  skirt  the 
bases  of  the  high  rocky  peaks.  Near  each  of  the  large  cities  of 
the  territory  there  are  splendid  canyons  from  which  the  water 
flows  to  supply  the  city.  Ogden  has  two  such  streams,  so  has 
Logan,  and  along  the  west  flank  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains 
there  are  scores,  each  issuing  from  its  separate  gorge,  and  to 
follow  any  one  of  these  from  its  source  to  its  final  destination  is 
to  traverse  a  course  beset  with  wild  and  silvan  beauty  from  one 
end  to  the  other.  But  perhaps  the  most  striking  scenic  charm 
of  the  Territory  is  that  the  fields  and  farms,  with  their  pastoral 
and  home-like  interest,  lie  sheltered  at  the  feet  of  great  snowy 
ranges,  the  green  and  fruitful  pastures  sweeping  across  the 
valleys  to  the  rocks  at  the  mountain  base,  orchards  and  vine- 
yards being  often  within  a  mile  or  two  of  immense  snow  beds 
and  pine  forests. 

There  are  many  wonderful  scenes  in  Southern  Utah,  among 
the  approaches  to  the  Colorado  river  and  along  its  tributaries. 
The  wierd  gorges  that  break  into  the  Rio  Virgin  river  are  among 
the  greatest  of  the  scenic  wonders  of  the  intermountain  west. 


THE  COUNTIES  OF   UTAH. 


55 


CACHE 


RICH 


Box  ELDER 


TOOELI 


JUAB 


MlLLARD 


BEAVER 


IRON 


WASHINGTON 


WEBER 

MORGAN 


DAVIS 


SALT  LAKE 


UTAH 


SANPETE 


SEVIER 


SUMMIT 


UINTAH 


THE  COUNTIES  op 

Reference  to  the  annexed  diagram  will  make  it  easy  to 
understand  the  relative  situation  of  each  county  in  the  Territory 
without  a  map.  In  the  following  pages,  they  are  described  in 
their  alphabetical  order.  At  one  time,  they  might  consistently 
have  been  grouped  into  the  Northern,  Central  and  Southern 
Counties,  because  of  their  separate  interests,  but  the  develop- 
ments and  railway  extensions  of  recent  years  have  drawn  them 
all  together  into  one  compact  whole,  so  that  the  affairs  of  each 
county  are  becoming,  year  by  year,  more 
closely  identified  with  those  of  all  the 
others.  There  is  not  a  county  in  the 
Territory  that  is  without  important  mining 
as  well  as  agricultural  interests;  each  has 
gold,  silver,  copper  and  lead  mines,  and 
nearly  all  have  coal,  iron 
and  other  valuable  miner- 
als within  their  lines; 
every  one  has  its  farms 
and  ranges,  and  many 
have  well  denned  indus- 
trial possibilities.  The  res- 
idents of  the  whole  Terri- 
tory can  see  great  cause 
for  hope  in  future  de- 
velopments, and,  together, 
the  counties  constitute  a 
union  of  related  interests 
more  diversified  than  those 
of  any  other  country  of 
the  same  area  that  can  be 
named. 

The  data  from  which  the  following  descriptive  articles  are 
compiled  has  been  gathered  from  reliable  sources,  and  in  many 
instances  the  matter  has  been  submitted  by  representatives 
especially  appointed  for  the  purpose  by  the  County  Courts. 
Great  care  has  been  exercised  to  make  the  reports  accurate  and 
impartial. 


WASATCH 


EMERY 


GRAND 


PIUTE 


WAYNE 


GARFIELD 


SAN  JUAN 


KANE 


BEAVER  COUNTY. 


BEAVER  COUNTY  is  situated  towards  the  south-west  portion  of  the  Territory, 
extending  from  the  Beaver  range  of  mountains  to  the  Nevada  line.  The 
western  portion  lacks  moisture,  but  the  eastern  half  is  well  watered  and  most 
fruitful.  The  Wasatch  mountains  at  this  point  are  magnificent  and  lofty, 


56  RESOURCES  AND  ATTRACTIONS  OF  UTAH. 

supplying  Beaver  River  with  numerous  tributaries,  and  securing  facilities  for 
irrigation  to  a  large  farming  population.  The  average  altitude  of  the  agricul- 
tural land  is  about  six  thousand  feet.  Alfalfa  and  small  grains  are  the  principal 
crops,  but  in  some  localities  there  are  a  few  orchards.  About  two  thousand 
acres  are  in  wheat,  which  has  an  average  yield  of  eighteen  bushels;  the  rest 
being  in  corn,  barley,  lucern,  hay,  potatoes,  etc.  323,000  acres  of  land  have 
been  surveyed  in  Beaver  County.  It  has  a  great  variety  of  mineral  resources 
and  contains  several  mining  districts.  Its  capital,  Beaver  City,  is  one  of  the 
principal  cities  of  the  south;  other  towns  in  the  county  are  Greenville,  Adams- 
ville  and  Milford.  The  town  of  Frisco  has  proven  one  of  the  productive  mining 
camps  of  Utah,  Besides  the  silver  and  lead  producing  mines  of  Beaver  County 
there  have  been  discovered,  though  but  little  developed,  a  number  of  material 
resources  that  may  yet  be  made  to  sustain  an  industrial  population.  Pure  silica 
sand,  suitable  for  glass  making.is  one  thing;  another  is  a  really  beautiful  quality 
of  white  marble  found  near  Frisco.  From  this  deposit  blocks  of  any  desired 
size  can  be  quarried  at  a  low  cost.  It  is  located  adjacent  to  the  Union  Pacific 
system.  The  population  of  Beaver  County  is  3,550,  the  assessed  valuation 
being  $1,220,900. 


BOX  ELDER  COUNTY. 
BY  A.   H.    SNOW. 

Box  ELDER  COUNTY,  situated  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Utah,  has  a 
population  of  8,000.  It  has  under  cultivation  a  little  upwards  of  30,000  acres, 
12,000  of  which  are  irrigated.  Here  every  cereal  known  to  western  commerce 
is  successfully  grown,  the  yields  being  large,  many  irrigated  farms  producing 
fifty  bushels  of  grain  and  eight  tons  of  alfalfa  to  the  acre.  In  1890,  when  the 
last  official  returns  were  received,  this  county  stood  first  in  the  matter  of 
average  yield  of  oats,  producing  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre. 

Box  Elder  has  greater  inducements  for  new  settlers  than  any  other  county 
in  the  territory.  The  great  Bear  River  Canal  has  been  completed  at  an  ex- 
pense of  over  two  million  dollars,  and  is  one  of  the  largest  irrigating  canals  in 
the  United  States.  Commencing  in  the  great  Bear  River  Canyon  and  running 
through  the  Bear  River  Valley,  the  canal  extends  some  150  miles  through  as 
fine  a  tract  of  agricultural  land  as  can  be  found  in  America.  The  country 
would  undoubtedly  have  been  settled  years  ago  had  it  not  been  for  the  enor- 
mous expense  of  establishing  such  a  gigantic  irrigating  scheme.  The  land 
adjoins  the  famous  fruit-raising  cities  of  Brigham  City,  Deweyville,  Willard  and 
Honeyville,  on  the  line  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway.  Brigham  City  alone 
shipped  on  an  average,  for  1893,  eight  hundred  boxes  of  fruit  per  day  during 
the  fruit  season. 

The  Bear  River  Valley  covers  150,000  acres  of  the  choicest  lands  in  Utah, 
proper  irrigation  for  which  is  now  assured.  Large  crops  may  thus  be  depended 
upon  yearly,  instead  of  once  in  two  or  three  years,  as  in  States  where  the 
farmer  is  compelled  to  depend  upon  rain.  The  water  supply  from  the  great 
Bear  River  is  unlimited.  The  company  controls  the  water  and  the  farmer  is 
thus  assured  of  an  adequate  supply  of  the  same  at  all  times.  The  land  is 
adapted  to  raising  all  kinds  of  fruits,  especially  peaches,  apricots,  cherries, 
plums,  strawberries,  raspberries  and  prunes,  while  wheat,  oats,  barley  and  all 
kinds  of  roots  and  garden  truck  grow  splendidly. 

On'this  tract  the  average  crops  are  as  follows: — wheat,  40  bushels  to  the 
acre;  alfalfa,  5  to  6  tons  per  acre;  potatoes,  2  to  300  bushels  to  the  acre;  oats, 
75  bushels  to  the  acre,  with  other  crops  in  proportion. 

The  company  owns  50,000  acres  of  land,  and  to  encourage  settlers  they 
will  sell  the  land  and  a  permanent  water  right  at  a  reasonable  figure  and  on 
easy  terms.  In  a  recent  interview,  Mr.  W.  H.  Rowe,  who  now  has  charge  of 
the  company's  affairs,  said  : 

"Just  as  soon  as  the  season  opens  20.000  forest  and  fruit  trees  will  be 
planted  in  the  valley,  and  we  will  also  put  in  5,000  acres  of  lucern  and  1,000 


THE   COUNTIES   OF   UTAH.  57 

acres  of  grain.  The  hay  will  be  used  as  feed  for  beef,  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs, 
and  it  will  then  be  unnecessary  for  the  Utah  stock  growers  to  send  their  stock 
to  Nebraska  to  be  fed  for  market.  It  is  estimated  that  25,000  tons  of  hay 
at  least  will  be  raised  on  the  5,000  acres  of  land  and  this  amount  of  hay  will 
feed  a  large  number  of  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs.  The  settlers  under  the  canal 
have  already  put  in  3,000  acres  of  winter  wheat  and  more  will  be  put  in  when 
spring  opens." 

Considerable  attention  is  also  paid  to  small  farming,  dairying,  cattle  and 
sheep  raising.  The  latter  industry  is  of  special  importance,  and  the  sale  of 
wool  and  mutton  is  one  of  the  greatest  sources  of  revenue  in  the  county.  The 
western  portion  of  the  county  is  especially  adapted  for  grazing  of  sheep  in  the 
winter,  and  at  this  time  it  is  estimated  that  not  less  than  100,000  sheep  are 
wintering  there. 

Brigham  City,  the  county  seat  of  Box  Elder  County,  has  a  population  of 
3,000,  and  is  celebrated  for  its  production  of  large  quantities  of  peaches, 
strawberries  and  like  fruit,  the  flavor  and  quality  of  which  are  not  surpassed 
anywhere.  The  ground  seems  well  adapted  for  fruit,  being  of  a  warm,  sandy 
loam.  One  Brigham  City  gardener  cleared  $475.00  in  one  season  from  three- 
quarters  of  an  acre  of  strawberries. 

Box  Elder's  mines  have  not  yet  a  world-wide  reputation,  but  three  or  four 
now  in  course  of  development  are  worthy  of  mention.  The  Garfield  group  of 
mines,  owned  by  the  Consolidated  Mining  &  Smelting  Co.,  have  been  worked 
for  several  years  and  are  now  beginning  to  yield  valuable  returns  to  the  owners. 
The  ore  near  the  surface  assays  as  follows:  lead  fifty-five  per  cent;  silver  five 
and  half  ounces;  gold  $15.  to  the  ton.  This  would  be  worth  $51.85  per  ton. 
This  property  is  more  a  gold  and  lead  mine  than  a  silver-lead,  which  is  much  in 
its  favor  considering  the  present  state  of  the  silver  question.  The  group  is 
situated  four  miles  north  of  Brigham  City  and  is  considered  by  its  owners  as  a 
second  Ontario. 

In  the  western  part  of  the  county  a  very  valuable  ledge  of  mica  from 
three  to  four  miles  in  length  has  recently  been  discovered,  which  bids  fair  to 
cheapen,  that  expensive  commodity  in  the  near  future. 

Messrs.  Toombs  and  Hickman,  says  the  Brigham  City  Bugler,  have  been 
quietly  developing  a  valuable  onyx  quarry  situated  on  Promontory,  twelve 
miles  south  of  the  station  on  the  S.  P.  Ry.  in  Box  Elder  County  by  that  name. 
They  have  taken  out  some  beautiful  samples,  varying  from  very  dark  to  white. 
Fine  specimens  of  marble  are  also  found  in  the  vicinity.  Representatives  of  an 
eastern  company  have  lately  been  out  and  inspected  the  place  and  they  are  so 
well  satisfied  with  the  value  of  the  discovery  that  they  have  organized  a 
company  called  the  Western  Onyx  &  Marble  Co.,  at  Eau  Clere,  Wis.,  where 
they  will  erect  a  new  plant  purposely  to  work  the  precious  stones  from  this 
place.  Mr.  Toombs  says  that  they  expect  to  put  eight  or  nine  men  to  work  on 
the  quarries  some  time  in  February.  This  find  may  mean  thousands  for  our 
county. 

The  assessed  valuation  of  property  for  the  County  for  1893  is  as  follows: 

Real  Estate $1,429,627.  oo 

Improvements  including  Railway  and  Telegraph.  .    .    .      2,220,344.  oo 
Horses,  sheep,  mules,  etc.,  etc 625,258.  oo 

Total  .   .    .  $4,275  229.  oo 
The  territorial  and  school  tax  for  1893  is  $21,000. 


CACHE  COUNTY. 

The  fruitful  character  of  Cache  County  will  be  realized  by  a  comparison 
with  «ther  portions  of  the  Territory.  The  county  consists  of  one  magnificent 
Valley  bordered  by  high  mountains,  which  are  well  timbered,  and  are  snow- 
clad  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  year.  From  the  canyons  of  these 


58  RESOURCES  AND  ATTRACTIONS  OF  UTAH. 

mountains  flow  generous  streams,  which  give  to  the  whole  valley  an  abundance 
of  water,  so  that  the  people  are  thrifty  and  well-to-do.  Every  few  miles  there 
is  a  pleasant  town  or  village,  with  a  few  stores  and  some  industrial  concerns; 
but  the  capital  city,  Logan,  has  real  commercial  importance  and  is  the 
metropolis  of  the  northern  part  of  the  Territory.  The  general  aspect  of  the 
county  is  alpine-pastoral,  and  excites  the  admiration  of  all  who  love  beautiful 
scenery.  Across  this  broad  and  beautiful  valley  there  are  a  quarter  of  a 
million  acres  under  cultivation.  There  is  very  little  land  unoccupied,  although 
probably  fifty  thousand  acres  more  might  be  cultivated.  Six  bounteous  streams 
cross  the  county  from  east  to  west,  while  hundreds  of  natural  springs  rise  in 
all  parts  of  the  valley.  Several  hundred  flowing  wells  add  to  the  water  supply 
for  market  gardening.  Wheat,  rye,  oats,  corn  and  potatoes,  can  be  raised  in 
this  county  without  irrigation,  with  better  results  than  in  any  other  part  of 
Utah.  Seepage  has  done  much  to  increase  the  cultivable  area,  irrigation  on 
the  bench  lands  having  rendered  the  lower  lands  moist.  Wheat  easily  yields 
fifty  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  the  hay  crop  is  astonishingly  great,  while  alfalfa 
flourishes  luxuriantly.  Potatoes  and  other  vegetables  yield  large  crops  and 
are  not  to  be  excelled  in  quality  by  any  in  the  United  States.  Fruits,  including 
apples,  pears,  plums,  grapes,  strawberries,  raspberries,  etc.,  are  raised  in  all 
parts  with  profit,  and  with  very  little  care.  Considering  the  fruitfulness  of  the 
soil,  cultivated  land  is  to  be  purchased  very  reasonably — usually  not  over  $50 
per  acre.  Wheat  generally  brings  90  cents  per  bushel;  timothy  hay  about 
|5. oo,  and  alfalfa  $4.00  per  ton.  The  winters  are  rigorous,  and  the  summers 
are  delightful.  Severe  winds  are  unknown.  Altogether  Cache  County  is  a 
most  attractive  district,  the  climate  being  superb  and  the  scenery  on  every  side 
full  of  beauty.  The  neighboring  canyons  are  as  grand  as  any  in  the  Territory, 
and  mountain  streams  afford  excellent  trout  fishing.  A  number  of  natural  gas 
wells  have  been  recently  secured  at  a  slight  cost,  and  these  afford  heat  and 
light  to  the  owners.  They  have  been  accidentally  discovered  while  driving  for 
water,  and  the  average  cost  has  been  less  than  $100  each. 

The  county  has  a  population  of  over  20,000,  two  semi-weekly  newspapers, 
two  banks,  eight  patent  roller  flour  mills,  two  electric  light  plants,  and  several 
well-equipped  creameries  and  cheese  factories,  distributed  among  seventeen 
cities  and  towns,  with  populations  of  500  to  6,000.  Large  mercantile  interests, 
wholesale  and  retail,  are  thriving,  and  the  bulk  of  the  population,  following 
the  occupations  of  the  farmer,  the  cattle,  horse  and  sheep  raiser,  have  become 
comparatively  wealthy  from  the  natural  resources  about  them.  Cache  County 
has  been  justly  called  "the  granary  of  Utah,"  and  yet  there  is  abundant  room 
for  a  population  of  100,000,  and  land  enough,  if  properly  divided  and  carefully 
tilled,  for  all.  Cache  Valley  horses  have  a  fame  throughout  a  large  adjacent 
country,  and  her  butter  and  cheese  find  ready  sale  as  the  best. 

The  unused  facilities  for  manufacturing  enterprises  invite  capital,  and  the 
water  power  of  Logan  River  alone  offers  returns  for  investment  that  capital 
will  quickly  appreciate,  and  make  use  of  as  soon  as  known. 

The  people  are  intelligent,  tolerant  and  progressive,  and  it  need  not  be 
said  that  a  people  who  would  put  $600,000.00  into  a  magnificent  Temple,  which 
overlooks  the  City  of  Logan,  are  moral,  temperate  and  industrious. 

To  home  seekers,  to  investors,  to  invalids,  we  say  come  and  live  among 
us. 

The  altitude  of  our  capital  city,  Logan,  is  4,400  feet,  and  the  mean  temper- 
ature for  1892  was  51.27,  and  the  death  rate  is  the  lowest  in  Utah. 

EDUCATIONAL  INTERESTS. 

Logan  City  is  the  site  of  the  Agricultural  College  of  Utah,  which  while 
established  as  late  as  1888,  has  made  stupendous  strides  and  now  stands  with- 
out a  rival  for  excellence,  equipment,  efficiency  and  location  in  the  arid  region. 
With  an  annual  national  endowment  of  $40,000.00  for  experimental  work  and 
scientific  research,  and  an  annual  appropriation  from  the  state,  its  future  will 
be  a  great  one  and  its  benefits  infinite.  Located  upon  the  east  slope  of  Cache 


60  BESOUECES  AND  ATTRACTIONS  OF  UTAH. 

Valley  and  overlooking  the  beautiful  "city  of  schools,"  with  no  acres  ot  land 
improved  and  alive  with  vegetation  for  college  experiments,  with  buildings  and 
apparatus  worth  $200,000.00,  it  is  the  pride  of  every  Utah  citizen. 

The  Brigham  Young  College,  founded  by  the  great  pioneer  whose  name  it 
bears  in  1877,  with  an  endowment  of  nearly  10,000  acres  of  the  best  land  in  the 
valley,  is  located  in  the  heart  of  the  city  on  the  bank  of  a  mountain  steam  of 
crystal  water.  It  has  a  record  that  many  older  institutions  might  be  proud  of, 
and  grows  in  popularity  and  efficiency  each  year.  Its  present  building,  appar- 
atus and  grounds  are  worth  $50,000. 

The  district  schools  have  modern  buildings  and  apparatus  equal  to  any  in 
the  territory,  two  recently  built,  the  Woodruff  and  the  Benson,  costing  $40,000. 

Denominational  schools  of  modern  equipment  and  with  instructors  worthy 
the  positions  they  hold,  are  conducted  by  the  Episcopal,  the  Presbyterian  and 
the  Methodist  churches. 

The  county  schools,  in  more  than  twenty  districts  outside  of  Logan,  have 
creditable  buildings  and  are  under  progressive  and  able  supervision. 


DAVIS   COUNTY. 

The  land  area  of  Davis  County  may  be  less  than  that  of  any  other  County 
in  the  Territory,  but  there  is  no  more  important  district  in  Utah.  It  lies  between 
the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake  and  the  Wasatch  mountains,  between  Ogden  and 
Salt  Lake  City,  and  is  traversed  by  the  U.  P.  and  R.  G.  W.  Railways  its  entire 
length.  Nearly  the  whole  of  its  250  square  miles  is  under  cultivation.  The 
romantic  feature  of  its  topography  is  that  it  includes  Church  Island,  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  interesting  islands  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  On  this  island 
there  are  thirty-six  sections  of  land  used  for  ranging  purposes,  a  considerable 
portion  of  which  is  already  seeded  to  lucern,  for  which  it  is  well  adapted;  as 
also  for  dry  farming.  It  is  likely  to  be  used  as  a  summer  watering  place.  A 
laree  proportion  of  the  mountainous  district  on  the  main  land  has  been  taken 
up  for  range  purposes.  Some  good  timber  also  flourishes  on  these  portions, 
but  the  long  wide  strip  of  land  lying  between  the  mountains  and  lake  is  exceed- 
ingly fruitful  and  is  being  cultivated  to  the  highest  degree.  It  is  estimated  that 
62,400  acres  of  land  are  used  for  pasture,  wheat,  lucern,  hay,  barley,  oats, 
orchards,  potatoes,  corn,  beets  and  all  varieties  of  vegetables.  But  little  land 
remains  subject  to  entry,  the  situation  being  too  valuable  to  remain  unclaimed. 
Cu  tivated  land  in  this  county  is  worth  as  high  as  $300  per  acre,  according  to 
quality  and  location,  the  most  valuable  being  in  the  market  gardening  district 
of  the  southern  portion  of  the  county.  In  the  northern  portion  there  is  a 
considerable  area  of -high  land,  on  which  extensive  experiments  in  dry  farming 
have  been  made  with  greater  success  than  in  most  parts  of  the  Territory. 
Davis  County  has  done  much  to  prove  the  great  possibilities  of  farming  in  Utah 
under  high  cultivation.  Located  in  a  district  where  a  ready  market  is  assured, 
not  only  in  the  principal  cities  at  home,  but  by  reason  of  its  railroad  facilities, 
an  extended  market  is  open  to  it  in  the  surrounding  territories.  There  have 
been  genuine  attempts  in  this  county  to  bring  the  land  approximately  to  its 
greatest  yielding  power,  and  we  doubt  whether  better  results,  quality  as  well  as 
quantity  considered,  have  ever  been  attained  in  any  agricultural  district  in 
America.  It  is  upon  the  southern  portion  of  this  county  that  Salt  Lake  City 
depends  for  the  splendid  garden  produce  and  small  fruits  which  come  into  its 
market  early  in  season  and  throughout  the  summer.  Figures  that  are  hard  to 
believe  are  published  in  California  and  elsewhere,  as  to  the  revenue  to  be 
derived  from  the  cultivation  of  an  acre  in  the  fruitful  districts  of  other  states, 
but  we  have  before  us  reliable  data  as  to  the  revenue  derived  from  acreage  in 
Davis  County  that  may  well  challenge  comparison  with  the  most  prolific  regions 
of  America  at  least. 

Market  gardening  in  Bountiful,  Davis  County,  yield  per  acre  and  average 
price  for  two  years. 


THE   COUNTIES   OF   UTAH. 


61 


Lettuce 14,000  @  $  .02 

Early  Cabbage 12,000  .05 

Early  Cauliflower 7,260  .10 

Onions 600  bu.  .75 

Parsnips 1,800  .25 

Carrots 1,800  .20 

Tomatoes 2,250  .40 

Potatoes 350  .75 

Large  Peas 306  i.oo 

Small  Peas 200  1.25 

Green  Beans 400  .90 

Cucumbers .   .       250  .50 

Asparagus 5  500  Ibs.  .08 

Rhubarb 7,000  "  .oij 

Corn 2,420  doz.  .10 

Celery 30,000  .03 

Cantelope 1,814  doz.  .60 

Watermelons 862   "  .40 


per  head,  $  280.00 
600.00 
72600 

bu.,  45000 
45000 
360.00 
90000 
262.50 
30600 
250.00 
36000 
125  oo 

lb.,  440.00 
105.00 

doz.,         242.00 
stalk,          90.00 
doz.,      i, 088  40 
3448o 


5  .02>^ 

$  31000 

.10 

120.00 

.15 

I,089.00 

1.50 

900  oo 

.40 

720.00 

•25 

45000 

.12/2 

6*7-50 

•05 

35000 

.20 

484  oo 

2.OO 

4,500.00 

.06 

1,8  o.oo 

2.OO 

3,628.00 

1.50 

1,298.00 

I  25 

375  oo 

2  00 

400  oo 

3-00 

900  oo 

200 

700  oo 

2.00 

700.00 

Yield  per  acre  and  highest  market  price  in  the  early  part  of  the  season. 

Lettuce 14,000  heads 

Cabbage 21,000 

Cauliflower 7,260      " 

Onions 600    bu. 

Par>nips 1,800 

Carrots 1,800 

Asparagus 5.500    Ibs. 

Rhubarb 7  ooo 

Corn 2,420  doz. 

Tomatoes 2,250   bu. 

Ce  ery 30,000  heads 

Cantelope 1,814  doz. 

Watermelons 862 

Large  Peas 300    bu. 

Small  Peas 200 

Green  Beans 300 

Cucumbers 350 

Potatoes 350 

The  above  figures  are  compiled  and  attested  by  Ephraim  Briggs  and 
Brigham  Holbrook  of  Bountiful,  Davis  County,  Utah. 

A  man  having  a  wife  and  five  children  r*  ports  being  able  to  make  a  com- 
fortable living  from  an  acre  and  a  quarter  of  land  at  Bountiful. 

Joseph  T.  Mabey  gives  the  following  statement  of  products  per  acre. 

Carrots.  .   .  , 1500  bushels,  @  $    .22,  $    330.00. 

Table  Beets, 1200  .25,        300.00. 

Onions, 850  .7.5,        637. 50. 

Potatoes, .       600  .35,        210.00. 

Downing  Gooseberries, 800  2.50,     2,000.00. 

Richard  E.  Egan  has  produced  strawberries  that  yielded  him  $600  to  the 
acre.  A.  L.  Buckland,  Bountiful,  has  realized  $1,500  per  acre,  one  year,  from 
kis  strawberry  patch. 

E  P.  Ellison  at  Lay  ton,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  gives  the 
following  averages: 

Wheat,  dry  farms,  22^  bush,  per  acre,  average  price,  6sc.  per  bush. 

Wheat,  irrigated,  50  bush,  per  acre. 

Barley,  dry  farms,  25  to  30  bush,  per  acre,  average  price,  650.  per  100  Ibs. 


62  BESOUBCES  AND   ATTBACTIONS   OF   UTAH. 

Barley,  irrigated,  60  to  70  bush,  per  acre. 

Oats,  irrigated,  60  to  70  bush,  per  acre. 

Lucern,  best  crop,  7  tons  per  acre,  $4.50  per  ton. 

These  figures  represent  averages,  but  authentic  reports  show  as  high  as 
no  bushels  of  oats,  and  100  bushels  of  barley  per  acre. 

The  irrigated  land  of  this  county  slopes  gently  south  and  west,  and  lies 
under  the  shelter  of  the  lofty  Wasatch  Mountains;  therefore  the  growing 
season  is  the  longest  and  the  climate  the  mildest,  so  that  the  soil  can  be 
cultivated  to  better  advantage  than  any  other  part  of  the  Territory.  The  water 
supply  is  comparatively  large,  the  mountains  supplying  numerous  streams  and 
many  springs  appear  along  their  base,  while  further  water  supply  has  been 
secured  by  tunnels  driven  into  the  flanks  of  the  mountain  range,  and  by 
flowing  wells  which  afford  a  bounteous  supply.  The  people  of  the  county 
are  generally  well  to  do;  real  poverty  is  almost  unknown.  Davis  County 
has  thirty  public  schools,  one  private,  and  seven  denominational  schools. 
Much  attention  is  being  given  to  educational  matters.  The  Normal  College 
is  incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of  $120,000,  to  construct  one  of  the 
largest  and  handsomest  school  buildings  in  the  west  at  Bonneville,  a  point 
five  miles  north  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  connected  therewith  by  three  different 
railways.  The  site  is  near  the  foot-hills  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  and  affords 
a  splendid  view  of  the  valley  and  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  The  building  will  be 
constructed  of  Utah  stone  and  brick,  and  is  intended  to  accommodate  fifteem 
hundred  students.  The  management  is  in  the  hands  of  J.  W.  Newbern,  and 
the  college  has  already  been  opened  in  Salt  Lake  City  in  connection  with  the 
Conservatory  of  Music.  The  undertaking  is  on  a  liberal  scale,  and  its  pro- 
mpters express  their  determination  to  spare  neither  money  nor  effort  to  make 
this  institution  one  of  the  most  practical  and  popular  of  its  kind  in  the  United 
States. 

The  city  of  Bountiful  is  the  most  southerly  settlement  in  Davis  County. 
The  population  is  1,540;  eight  public  schools,  the  central  school  house  in  the 
south  precinct,  being  a  handsome  building  of  modern  style,  with  approved 
methods  of  heating  and  ventilating,  and  amply  supplied  with  furniture  and 
school  appliances.  It  has  a  library  and  collection  of  specimens  in  natural 
history.  Centeryille,  Farmington,  Kaysville  and  Syracuse,  also  have  excellent 
educational  institutions.  The  climate  is  essentially  the  same  as  that  of  Salt 
Lake  Valley.  Although  some  undeveloped  mining  claims  exist  in  the  moun- 
tains along  the  edge  of  the  county,  but  little  attention  has  been  given  to  the 
subject.  The  principal  mineral  resource  is  the  salt  industry  maintained  along 
the  shore  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  near  the  line  of  the  Union  Pacific  and  Rio 
Grande  Western  Railways. 

But  Davis  County  is  famous  as  the  location  of  the  wonderful  wells  of 
Natural  Gas  that  have  been  developed  by  the  New  American  Gas  and  Fuel 
Company.  There  are  five  wells  completed  and  ready  to  turn  into  mains, 
showing  the  following  pressure  per  inch  and  capacity  of  flow  in  twenty-four 
hours  as  measured  by  standard  gauge;  also  depth  of  wells: 

No.  i,  depth,  780  feet,  200  Ibs.  pressure,  flows  4,900,700  feet. 

No.  2,  760     "     190  Ibs.  3,200,000 

No.  3,      "       792     !'     200  Ibs.  "  4,000,000 

No.  4,      "       808     "     240  Ibs.         "  "  2,500,000 

No.  5,      "       820    "     250  Ibs.        "  "  5,500,000 

20,100,700 
2  small  wells  that  flow  800,000  feet  each,    .   .   .    1,600,000 

Total,  .    .    .    2 1, 700, 700  cubic  feet. 

These  wells  are  all  cased  with  wrought  iron  pipe  from  the  surface  to  the 
gas  deposit.  The  drives  pass  through  large  bodies  of  black  shale  and  soap- 
stone  before  the  gas  rock  is  reached.  The  gas  is  found  in  a  very  porous  grey 


THE   COUNTIES   OF   UTAH. 


63 


sandstone.  The  difference  of  flow  in  the  several  wells  is  caused  by  the  hard- 
ness or  softness  of  the  rock  where  the  gas  is  tapped.  The  company  own  and 
control  something  over  6,000  acres  of  land  in  the  gas  fields.  These  wells  are 
situated  twelve  miles  north  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  about  twenty  miles  south  of 
Ogden.  The  Union  Pacific  and  Rio  Grande  Western  railroads  both  pass 
through  these  fields.  It  is  a  question  of  only  a  short  time  until  manufactories 
will  take  advantage  of  this  cheap  fuel  and  make  Davis  County  the  leading 
county  of  the  Great  West.  Raw  material  of  many  kinds,  including  iron,  lay 
contiguous  to  the  wells.  The  developments  in  the  gas  field  were  commenced 
about  March,  1892,  but  a  large  spring  showing  gas  "which  can  be  lighted,"  has 
been  known  to  exist  for  more  than  forty  years  near  the  center  of  this  great 
Natural  Gas  field. 

It  has  been  said  with  good  reason  that  a  glass  factory  and  a  beet  sugar 
factory  (the  land  is  well  adapted  to  raising  sugar  beets)  and  other  industries 
might  be  established  in  this  neighborhood,  and  that  power  for  the  same 
could  be  derived  from  the  Weber  Canal. 

The  manufacture  of  brick  is  one  of  the  thriving  industries  of  Davis  County. 
There  are  two  banks  in  the  county,  the  Barnes  Banking  Company  of  Kaysville, 
and  the  Davis  County  Bank  at  Farmington,  the  county  seat.  The  Layton 
Roller  Mills,  the  Star  Mills  at  Farmington,  and  the  Thistle  Mills  at  Kaysville, 
produce  excellent  flour,  while  several  creameries  exist  in  the  different 
settlements.  The  Woods  Cross  Canning  and  Pickling  Company  is  actively 
engaged  in  developing  this  branch  of  industry. 


TIMOTHY    HAY    FIELD. 

EMERY  COUNTY. 


Emery  County  lies  along  the  Rio  Grande  Western  Railway,  in  the  middle- 
eastern  part  of  the  Territory.  It  is  drained  by  Green  River,  the  principal  fork 
of  the  Colorado.  About  20,000  acres  are  under  cultivation,  the  greater  part  of 


64  RESOURCES  AND  ATTRACTIONS  OF  UTAH. 

which  is  irrigated,  and  a  much  larger  area  will  shortly  be  under  cultivation,  as  au 
abundance  of  water  can  be  taken  from  Green  River  and  more  can  be  stored  in 
the  mountains  to  the  westward.  This  will  require  considerable  outlay,  which, 
however,  will  yield  ample  returns  for  the  investment.  The  county  seat  is 
Castle  Dale,  one  of  the  farming  settlements  of  the  central  portion  of  the  county; 
but  a  more  important  point  is  the  town  of  Price,  an  active  shipping  point  from 
which  supplies  are  distributed  to  Fort  Duchesne,  Vernal,  and  other  places  to 
the  north,  and  also  to  the  farming  districts  to  the  south.  All  of  the  gilsonite 
produced  in  the  Duchesne  valley  reaches  the  railway  at  this  point,  and  Price 
has  therefore  become  something  of  a  commercial  center.  The  town  of  Helper 
is  an  active  railway  town,  and  the  great  coal  fields  of  Pleasant  Valley  are 
situated  in  the  north-west  corner  of  Emery  County.  A  considerable  business  is 
done  in  lumbering,  in  charcoal  burning  and  in  the  coke  industry.  The  population 
of  the  county  is  about  seven  thousand  and  the  assessed  valuation  $2,040,812.  A 
very  large  area  of  the  best  cattle  and  sheep  raising  country  is  comprised  within 
this  county,  the  high  mesas  affording  excellent  feed  in  summer  and  the  lower 
valleys  constituting  one  of  the  best  winter  ranges  in  the  Territory. 


GARFIELD  COUNTY. 

This  county  is  situated  in  the  central-southern  part  of  the  ^Territory  in  the 
midst  of  the  wild,  weird  mountains  and  plateaus  that  drain  into  the  Colorado. 
It  is  but  sparsely  settled,  remote  from  travel  and  comparatively  undeveloped. 
Only  a  couple  of  thousand  acres  are  under  cultivation,  but  these  yield  high 
average  crops.  Barley,  for  instance,  produces  on  the  average  fifty-two  bushels 
to  the  acre  against  an  average  for  the  Territory  of  only  twenty-nine  bushels. 
Other  cereals  are  produced  in  proportion.  The  county  is  composed  for  the 
most  part  of  high  plateaus  and  mountain  ranges,  deeply  cut  canyons,  which 
rarely  open  to  a  sufficient  width  for  agricultural  operations;  but  the  county  is 
well  adapted  for  sheep  and  cattle  raising,  especially  in  winter.  In  the  western 
portion  of  the  county,  however,  along  the  east  and  the  west  forks  of  the  Sevier, 
there  are  several  thriving  farming  towns,  among  them,  Panguitch  and  Orton, 
and  the  country  there  is  more  open  and  suitable  for  cultivation.  A  year  or  two 
ago  much  attention  was  directed  to  the  eastern  portion  of  Garfield  County  by 
the  Henry  Mountain  gold  excitement.  It  was  sufficiently  proven  that  paying 
placer  fields  existed  in  this  region,  but  its  remoteness  and  the  difficulty  of 
procuring  water,  except  by  heavy  outlays,  have  been  the  principal  reasons  why 
this  excitement  has  subsided. 


GRAND  COUNTY. 

Grand  County  adjoins  Colorado  in  the  middle  eastern  part  of  the  Terri- 
tory. It  was  but  little  known  until  it  was  traversed  by  the  Rio  Grande 
Western  railway  on  its  course.  It  is  sparsely  populated  and  but  little  developed. 
The  Grand  River  runs  through  it,  but  as  yet  only  a  limited  area  has  been 
cultivated.  Its  principal  use  at  present  is  for  range  purposes,  but  several 
small  settlements,  such  as  Moab  and  Richardson  on  the  Grand  River,  have 
proven  the  fruitfulness  of  the  county.  Not  only  grain  is  raised,  but  the 
orchards  and  vineyards  are  remarkably  productive.  Only  3850  acres  are  under 
cultivation,  but  five  hundred  thousand  acres  are  reported  as  open  for  reclama- 
tion, while  two  and  a  half  millions  of  acres  are  suitable  for  range  and  pasture. 
A  great  agricultural  future  is  undoubtedly  in  store  for  Grand  County,  and  it  will 
probably  become  the  principal  corn  producing  district  of  the  Territory.  245 
acres  are  in  orchards,  and  a  shipping  business  of  no  mean  proportions  has 
already  begun,  from  Thompson's  Station,  of  peaches,  apples,  apricots,  plums, 
pears  and  honey,  sent  in  boxes  tojthe  mining  districts  of  Colorado  and  to  Salt 
Lake  City.  The  report  includes  a  product  of  12,500  Ibs.  of  honey,  twenty- 


THE    COUNTIES    OF    UTAH.  65 

five  gallons  of  wine,  375  hives  of  bees  and  75,000  pounds  of  wool  shipped,  and 
an  export  of  nearly  5,000  cattle  and  horses,  and  over  1,000  sheep.  Shipments 
from  this  county  have  also  been  made  of  asphaltum,  agates,  ores  and  minerals 
of  40,000  pounds.  Such  activity  as  this  maintained  by  a  population  of  not 
over  750  people  indicates  that  Grand  County,  with  its  splendid  ranges  and 
pastures,  watered  by  the  great  rivers  of  the  Grand  and  Green,  will  develop 
very  rapidly,  and  at  this  time  it  probably  offers  as  good  inducements  for  settle- 
ment as  any  other  county  in  the  Territory. 


IRON  COUNTY. 

BY  w.  R.  M'BRIDE. 

IT  is  situated  in  the  south  western  part  of  Utah.  Its  area  is  about  3,400 
square  miles,  a  large  portion  of  which  is  now  being  utilized  for  grazing  pur- 
poses. The  great  Escalante  desert  on  the  west,  covering  an  area  of  345,600 
acres,  affords  winter  quarters  for  thousands  of  cattle,  horses  and  sheep,  return- 
ing to  the  Wasatch  Mountains  on  the  east  in  the  spring-time,  where  they  remain 
during  the  summer  subsisting  upon  the  nutritious  grass  and  sparkling  waters 
of  this  beautiful  range.  The  fine  pasturage  afforded  by  the  native  bunch-grass 
and  other  hardy  varieties  that  cover  the  mountain  slopes  and  even  the  great 
desert,  has  made  stock-raising  a  valuable  industry  in  Iron  County.  Great  num- 
bers of  horses  and  cattle  are  driven  or  shipped  eastward  every  year,  and  with 
the  thousands  of  pounds  of  wool  exported  annually  furnish  one  of  the  most 
important  sources  of  revenue  to  the  county.  The  Wasatch  Mountains  along 
the  eastern  border  of  the  county,  densely  covered  with  large  forest  trees,  afford 
every  facility  for  the  production  of  millions  of  feet  of  lumber,  accessible  to 
the  inhabitants  of  the  valleys.  Another  charming  feature  of  this  mountain 
region  is  the  many  beautiful  summer  resorts.  Panguitch  Lake  is  a  splendid  body 
of  clear  crystal  water  situated  at  the  top  of  the  range,  fifteen  miles  east  of  Par- 
owan  City.  The  settled  portion  of  the  county  lies  along  the  western  base  of 
the  mountains,  a  distance  of  fifty  miles.  The  cities  of  Iron  County  are  Parowan, 
Cedar,  Paragonah,  Kanarra,  Summit,  Enoch,  and  Hamilton's  Fort.  Parowan, 
the  county  seat,  population  about  1,200,  is  situated  in  the  central  part  of  the 
county,  near  the  base  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains.  It  is  built  on  elevated  land, 
making  it  an  observatory  to  the  great  Parowan  Valley,  in  which  are  the  towns 
Paragonah  and  Summit.  Cedar  City  is  nineteen  miles  south  of  Parowan,  in 
the  Rush  Lake  Valley,  population  1,500.  It  is  one  of  the  leading  cities  of 
southern  Utah  and  may  become  the  metropolis  of  the  territory.  Its  location  is 
favorable  in  every  respect,  being  adjacent  to  large  deposits  of  coal,  and  the 
most  extensive  iron  fields  in  the  world.  It  is  midway  between  Denver,  Colo- 
rado and  Los  Angeles,  California,  hence  the  right  place  for  a  large  city.  The 
entire  people  of  the  county  are  intelligent,  generous,  and  hospitable,  and  are  in 
good  financial  condition.  The  people  at  large  t  ike  a  great  interest  in  the 
cause  of  education.  Aside  from  the  district  school,the  county  has  three  church 
schools.  The  chief  pursuits  of  the  people  are  farming  and  stock  raising. 

In  Iron  County  there  are  225,860  acres  of  surveyed  tillable  land,  22,000 
acres  under  cultivation,  201,860  acres  subject  to  homestead  and  desert  entry, 
and  2,000  acres  entered,  but  not  patented.  This  land  is  very  productive.  All 
that  is  now  under  cultivation  is  well  irrigated.  Parowan  Valley,  situated  in  the 
north-eastern  part  of  the  county,  will  no  doubt,  become  the  agricultural  strong- 
hold of  the  county.  It  is  comparatively  level,  sloping  gradually  from  the 
Wasatch  Mountains  on  the  east  to  the  hills  on  the  west.  At  the  base  of  these 
hills  is  found  the  inland  sea  of  southern  Utah — Little  Salt  Lake,  five  miles  in 
length  by  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  width.  Parowan  Valley  is  twenty-five  miles 
long  by  ten  miles  wide,  extending  north-east  and  south-west.  Its  soil  is  very 
fertile,  producing  wheat,  oats,  barley,  potatoes,  hay,  fruit  and  vegetables.  Ail 
the  land  in  the  valley  can  be  utilized  for  agricultural  purposes  by  means  of 
reservoiring  and  artesian  wells,  the  latter  now  being  used  very  extensively. 
The  estimated  flow  of  water  is  fifteen  gallons  per  minute  at  a  depth  of  forty- 

5 


6  RESOURCES    AND    ATTRACTIONS    OF    UTAH. 

fivejfeet.  The  opportunities  for  building  reservoirs  are  numerous  and  exten- 
sive, making  it  possible  for  the  uplands  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  to  be 
irrigated;  in  consequence  of  which  the  lowlands  sub-irrigate,  making  very 
profitable  hay  ground.  Rush  Lake  Valley, forty-five  miles  long  by  ten  wide,  lies 
immediately  south  and  west  of  Parowan  Valley.  In  this  valley  are  found  the 
thriving  towns  of  Kanarra,  Enoch,  Hamilton  Fort  and  Cedar  City.  The  land 
is  well  watered  and  exceedingly  productive.  The  North-east  Canal  &  Reser- 
voir Company  are  taking  out  a  canal  from  Coal  Creek,  near  Cedar  City,  which 
will  carry  sufficient  water  to  irrigate  2,400  acres  of  upland^  and  1,000  acres  of 
hay  land. 

The  average  price  of  cultivated  land^throughout  the  county  is  $25.00  per 
acre.  Its  chief  products  are  alfalfa,  wheat,  oats,  barley,  potatoes  and  apples. 
Alfalfa  predominates;  five  tons  to  the  acre  are  produced  yearly,  selling  at  $5.00 
per  ton.  The  average  yield  of  wheat  is  thirty  bushels  per  acre  at  $i .00  per 
hundred  weight,  and  of  oats  thirty-five  bushels  .per  acre  at  $1.00  per  hundred 
weight.  -- — - 

Owing  to  the  elevation  of  Iron  County,  its  situation  between  the  lofty  rain 
barriers  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  on  the  west,  and  the  Wasatch  range  on  the  east, 
and  its  generally  mountainous  character,  its  atmosphere  is  light,  dry,  clear  and 
invigorating.  Notwithstanding  there  is  a  great  variation  in  temperature,  the 
climate  in  all  parts  is  very  salubrious.  In  summer  it  is  agreeably  cool  and 
refreshing  in  the  upper  valleys,  mild  in  the  lower,  and  decidedly  warm  near  the 
desert  tracts.  The  fall  of  snow  in  winter  is  light  in  the  lower  valleys,  but  deep 
in  the  mountain  canyons  and  upper  valleys,  furnishing  a  large  supply  of  water 
for  irrigating. 

Coal  and  iron  Ideposits  are  abundant.  They  are  all  found  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  county,  with  the  exception  of  a  heavy  vein  of  iron  ore  lying  immedi- 
ately north  of  Little  Creek  canyon  near  Paragoonah  in  Parowan  Valley.  Small 
veins  of  coal  are  also  found  in  this  vicinity,  and  some  traces  of  gold  and  silver. 

The  great  coal  fields  extending  from  Cedar  City  on  the  north  to  the  town  of 
Kanarra  on  the  south,  and  as  far  east  as  the  Colorado,  are  inexhaustible  and 
superior  in  quality.  Two  thousand  acres  of  these  coal  lands  are  now  being 
developed  in  Cedar  Canyon.  This  field  is  second  to  none  in  quantity  and 
quality.  Some  of  it  cokes  very  readily  and  is  therefore  very  valuable  for 
smelting  purposes.  In  fact  it  has  already  been  tested  on  Iron  County  iron  ore, 
both  magnetic  and  hematite,  with  gratifying  success.  It  is  sufficient  in  quantity 
to  supply  the  entire  Pacific  slope  with  coal  for  furnaces  and  domestic  purposes. 
As  soon  as  the  Nevada  Southern  railroad  is  built,  (and  it  is  coming  this  way  as 
fast  as  possible,)  capital  will  follow,  huge  furnaces  will  be  built,  and  from  Iron 
County  will  go  the  manufactured  iron  and  steel  to  be  consumed  in  the  hundreds 
of  industries  in  our  great  and  growing  west.  This  railroad  enterprise,  the 
market  thus  opened  for  our  coal,  and  the  assured  establishment  of  iron  works, 
will  make  a  Pittsburg  of  Cedar  City  and  a  Pennsylvania  of  Iron  County. 

Iron  exists  in  a  belt  extending  from  Iron  Springs  on  the  north,  eight  miles 
from  Cedar  City,  to  Iron  City  on  the  south,  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles,  with  an 
average  width  of  three  miles,  culminating  in  Iron  Mountain,  towering  1,500  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  valley.  This  deposit  is  estimated  to  be  ninety  per  cent 
pure  iron.  This  vast  area  of  iron  ore  is  a  monument  to  the  world,  inexhaust- 
ible in  its  nature,  unsurpassed  in  quality  and  containing  millions  upon  millions 
of  hidden  treasure,  and,  as  Captain  Fox  well  says:  "If  all  the  lumber  in  the 
world,  and  all  the  buildings  were  destroyed,  and  if  all  the  buildings  during  the 
the  world's  existence  had  to  be  constructed  of  iron,  there  is  one  mountain  in 
Utah  which  would  furnish  enough  iron  for  the  world." 
This  mountain  is  in  Iron  County. 


JUAB  COUNTY. 

THIS  county,  situated  in  the  centre  of  the  western  side  of  the  Territory, 
consists  of  a  long  narrow  strip,  extending  westward  from  the  Wasatch  Moun- 
tains across  the  desert  to  the  Nevada  line.  The  greater  portion  of  the  western 


THE    COUNTIES    OF    UTAH.  67 

district  is  almost  entirely  without  water  and  a  part  of  it  is  covered  by  the  Great 
Salt  Lake  Desert;  nevertheless  it  affords  winter  range  for  innumerable  sheep, 
which  are  able  to  find  moisture  sufficient  for  their  needs  among  the  gorges  of 
the  desert  ranges  which  break  across  the  plains  in  lines  from  north  to  south  at 
intervals  but  a  few  miles  apart.  Not  only  does  the  arid  region  contribute  in 
this  manner  towards  the  wealth  of  the  sheep  owners,  but  in  these  desert  ranges 
already  mentioned  there  are  mines  which  will  undoubtedly  contribute  largely  in 
the  future  towards  the  mineral  output  of  the  Territory.  In  the  Dugway,  Fish 
Springs  and  Deep  Creek  mining  districts  are  numberless  lodes  of  lead,  silver, 
gold  and  copper  that  have  attracted  the  attention  of  mining  speculators  for  a 
great  many  years,  and  but  for  the  lack  of  transportation  facilities,  would  long 
since  have  been  developed  into  perhaps  the  most  important  mineral  producing 
region  of  the  Territory.  To  secure  the  building  of  a  railroad  to  these  regions 
many  attempts  have  been  made  by  local  capitalists,  but  so  far,  without  avail; 
yet  the  conviction  is  deep  in  the  minds  of  all  that  sooner  or  later  a  railroad  will 
enable  those  who  have  persistantly  held  on  to  these  claims  to  prove  their  value, 
and  many  fortunes  will  be  reaped.  Enormous  deposits  are  there  reported, their 
proportions  almost  surpassing  belief;  but  they  are  mostly  low  grade  and  will  not 
bear  the  wagon  haul.  Thorough  investigations  have  been  made  at  various 
times  and  the  tonnage  that  these  mines  would  secure  to  a  railway  passing 
through  that  part  of  the  country,  would  undoubtedly  furnish  sufficient  traffic 
for  its  support.  The  eastern  part  of  the  county  however,  is  of  an  entirely 
different  character,  well  watered  by  numerous  streams,  and  a  great  part  of  its 
area  has  been  under  cultivation  for  many  years.  The  celebrated  Tintic  mining 
district,  into  which  the  Rio  Grande  Western  Railway  has  recently  built  one  of 
its  most  important  spurs,  has  been  one  of  the  greatest  producers  of  the  Terri- 
tory. The  Bullion-Beck,  Eureka-Hill,  Mammoth  and  other  famous  mines  have 
yielded  fortune  upon  fortune  to  their  lucky  possessors.  But  besides  the  mining 
of  the  noble  metals  there  are  iron  mines,  gypsum,  saltpetre,  graphite,  salt  and 
other  minerals,  many  of  which  are  being  produced  with  profit  and  contribute 
to  the  mineral  output  of  the  Territory.  The  county  seat  is  Nephi,  which  has 
been  called  the  "Little  Chicago"  by  its  enterprising  inhabitants.  It  is  certainly 
among  the  most  important  towns  south  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  a  prominent 
shipping  point  for  wool  and  other  exports.  .  Here  the  Nephi  Plaster  Works 
are  engaged  in  manufacturing  a  first  class  article  of  Plaster  of  Paris,  with  which 
they  not  only  supply  the  entire  demand  in  Utah,  but  annually  ship  many  car- 
loads to  California.  Their  exhibit  will  be  prominent  in  the  Utah  department  at 
the  Midwinter  Fair.  Salt  springs  and  great  reefs  of  rock  salt,  also  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Nephi,  afford  the  means  of  sustaining  two  active  and  successful  pro- 
ducers of  dairy  salt  of  singular  purity,  besides  which  great  quantities  of  rock 
salt  for  stock  purposes  are  shipped  throughout  the  inter-mountain  region. 
Nephi  supports  a  bank  and  a  number  of  important  mercantile  institutions. 
Among  its  enterprising  citizens  are  some  who  are  engaged  in  the  development 
of  asphalt  fields  and  other  resources  of  the  Territory;  but  the  principal  support 
of  the  county  are  the  ranch  and  range  interests,  and  the  products  of  the  agricul- 
tural districts  throughout  the  valley.  The  highest  peak  of  the  Wasatch 
Mountains,  Mount  Nebo,  12.000  feet,  lies  just  back  of  Nephi  and  is  a  conspicuous 
feature  of  the  country.  Levan,  Mona,  Juab  and  other  towns  are  the  centres  of 
the  agricultural  regions.  The  assessed  valuation  of  the  county  is  $2,427,328., 
but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  mining  properties  are  not  subject  to  assess- 
ment. These  have  a  value  of  many  millions. 


KANE  COUNTY. 

This  county  adjoins  Arizona  on  the  central-southern  portion  of  the  Terri- 
tory, but  is  remote  from  travel  and  its  population  does  not  exceed  2,000.  A 
few  towns,  Kanab,  Glendale,  Mount  Carmel  and  one  or  two  others  exist  on  the 
head  waters  of  the  Rio  Virgin  and  other  streams  which  flow  into  the  Colorado 
River.  The  greater  part  of  the  county  consists  of  plateaus,  suitable  for  sheep 


68  RESOURCES    AND    ATTRACTIONS    OF    UTAH. 

ranges,  but  the  streams  flow  through  deep  gorges  cut  through  the  alluvial  soil 
at  such  depths  that  the  water  cannot  be  diverted  to  the  main  land.  The  scen- 
ery of  this  region  is  wild  and  romantic,  and  full  of  interest  to  the  explorer,  yet  this 
feature  does  not  contribute  to  its  prosperity.  The  valleys  to  which  water  can 
be  brought  are  narrow,  limiting  the  arable  land;  but  in  such  places  farms  are 
very  fruitful  and  the  yield  is  correspondingly  high.  The  assessed  valuation  of 
the  county  in  1893  was  $732, 520,  but  the  live  stock  owned  by  its  inhabitants  is 
worth  not  less  than  half  a  million. 


MILLARD  COUNTY. 

This  is  a  large  county  in  the  southwest  part  and,  in  the  early  history  of  the 
Territory,  was  the  county  seat,  and  Fillmore  was  the  capital  city  of  the  Terri- 
tory for  several  years.  Out  of  400,000  acres  of  tillable  land,  about  one-quarter 
is  under  cultivation,  the  remainder  being  unoccupied  and  subject  to  entry. 
But  fully  one  half  of  the  western  portion  is  desert  and  suitable  only  for  winter 
range.  Cultivated  land  is  worth  from  $20  to  $50  per  acre,  lying  along  the 
valley  of  the  Sevier  and  on  the  western  slopes  of  the  Wasatch  Range.  Good 
reservoir  opportunities  exist  which  might  materially  increase  the  cultivated 
area.  It  has  been  estimated  that  at  least  100,000  acres  not  now  used  for  farming 
could  by  these  means  be  settled  up.  The  largest  yields  reported  to  the 
acre  are  five  tons  of  hay,  fifty  bushels  of  wheat,  fifty  five  bushels  of  oats,  one 
hundred  bushels"  of  barley  and  500  bushels  of  potatoes.  The  climate  is 
temperate  and  cattle  and  all  kinds  of  grazing  stock  do  well.  It  is  a  region  to 
which  hundreds  of  thousands  of  sheep  are  driven  in  the  winter,  a  circumstance 
which  contributes  as  much  to  the  good  fortune  of  sheep  raisers  from  other 
counties  as  to  the  well-being  of  the  inhabitants  of  Millard  County.  In  the 
spurs  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains  and  in  some  of  the  desert  ranges  a  number  of 
mines  have  been  discovered,  although  but  little  worked!  The  famous  black 
onyx  which  has  recently  commanded  much  attention, is  produced  in  this  county, 
and  arrangements  have  been  made  to  ship  it  by  the  carload  to  the  east. 
Nothing  to  rival  this  beautiful  stone  has  so  far  been  discovered  in  America. 
Lead,  silver,  gold  and  copper  seem  to  predominate,  and  promise  to  make  the 
mining  interests  of  the  county  important  in  the  future.  Fillmore,  Kanosh, 
Scipio,  Deseret  and  other  towns  supply  a  thriving  farming  population.  The 
residents  of  the  county  number  over  4,000:  the  assessed  valuation  last  year 
was  $1,678,947.  The  Union  Pacific  Railway  passes  through  the  county,  afford- 
ing means  of  transportation  for  its  products  and  its  requirements.  Cattle  and 
sheep  constitute  its  principal  exports. 


MORGAN  COUNTY. 

This  little  county  occupies  a  district  through  which  r;the  Union  Pacific 
Railway  passes,  between  Ogden  and  Echo.  It  is  extremely  mountainous  in 
character,  but  the  Weber  Valley  with  its  several  towns,  Morgan,  Peterson  and! 
Croyden,  is  a  delightful  relief,  and  the  limited  amount  of  land  which  there  is 
under  cultivation  yields  good  returns.  Wheat,  oats,  barley,  potatoes  and  some 
small  fruit,  are  the  principal  products,  and  of  these  over  7,000  acres  are  under 
the  plow.  The  towns  being  within  easy  reach  of  Ogden  and  Salt  Lake  City 
the  produce  of  the  county  is  easily  marketed  at  good  figures.  Cultivated  land 
is  worth  $75  and  more  per  acre.  Of  late  years  many  silver  producing  claims 
have  been  recorded  and  some  ore  has  been  shipped.  With  the  restoration  in 
the  price  of  silver  and  lead,  further  developments  would  begin  at  once.  Some 
gold  prospects  have  also  been  discovered.  The  population  is  about  2,000  and 
the  assessed  valuation  about  $600,000. 


THE    COUNTIES    OF    UTAH.  69 

PIUTE  COUNTY. 

This  is  one  of  the  small  counties  of  the  Territory  in  the  south  central  part . 
It  is  almost  wholly  covered  by  high  mountains,  the  Wasatch  at  this  point  reach- 
ing an  altitude  of  nearly  12,000  feet.  But  for  its  distance  from  railway  commu- 
nication,Piute  County  would  become  prominent  for  its  mines, some  of  the  most 
promising  properties  being  located  near  Marysvale.  Gold,  silver,  lead  and 
copper  will  some  day  be  produced  there  in  great  quantities.  At  this  point  also 
quicksilver  has  been  produced  in  paying  quantities,  the  output  for  one 
year  being  over  $7.000.  From  an  agricultural  point  of  view  this  county  is  not 
conspicuous,  but  nevertheless  some  2,500  people  derive  ^sustenance  therefrom, 
the  water  being  in  abundance  and  the  soil  fruitful. 


RICH  COUNTY. 

This  county  lies  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Utah.  It  is  not  very  large  but  it  is 
nearly  all  agricultural  land.  Thirty  thousand  acres  are  cultivated  or  in  pasture, 
the  tributaries  of  Bear  River  furnishing  an  abundance  of  water.  The  elevation  oi 
Bear  Valley  is  about  7,000  feet,  rendering  the  climate  somewhat  cold,  but  the 
hardier  crops  flourish.  A  beautiful  feature  of  the  northern  part  of  this  county 
is  Bear  Lake,  a  magnificent  sheet  of  water  about  fifteen  miles  in  width  by 
thirty  or  forty  in  length.  This  is  one  of  the  largest  bodies  of  fresh  water  that 
exist  at  such  elevation  in  the  mountain  regions,  and  is  the  natural  reservoir 
upon  which  the  great  Bear  River  canal  depends  for  its  permanent  summer 
supply.  The  scenic  features  of  this  portion  of  the  county  are  exceedingly 
attractive,  and  some  of  the  towns  lying  along  the  shore  of  the  lake  are  almost 
wholly  supported  by  trout  fishing,  supplying  the  markets  of  several  territories 
with  large  and  splendid  fish.  The  lake  is  deep,  wonderfully  clear  and  a  marvel 
of  beautiful  color  At  the  southern  end  are  Laketown,  Meadowville  and  other 
thriving  farming  settlements,  while  along  the  eastern  bank  of  the  lake  at  points 
where  the  mountains  recede  from  the  shore  the  recesses  are  occupied  by 
some  of  the  most  delightful  farms  in  the  Territory.  The  population  of  the 
county,  however,  is  not  great,  though  the  people  are  generally  well  to  do,  owing 
to  the  success  which  usually  attends  their  stock  raising  enterprises. 


SALT  LAKE  COUNTY. 

'"Even  ii  Salt  Lake  County  did  not  enjoy  the  distinction  of  possessing  the 
capital  city  of  the  Territory,  it  would  rival  the  most  important  of  other  counties 
in  many  ways.  A  portion  of  its  cultivated  ground  at  least,  is  as  fertile  as  any 
land  in  any  country  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  The  results  of  actual  cultivation 
justify  this  statement.  Greater  and  better  crops  have  never  been  raised  in 
America  than  on  the  farms  which  lie  to  the  southward  of  Salt  Lake  Cit>.  This 
extremely  fertile  district  is  comparatively  limited,  and  there  are  large  stretches 
of  land  on  the  western  portion  of  the  valley  which  have  not  yet  been  proven  to 
be  so  productive.  From  a  scenic  point  of  view  the  magnificent  front  of  the 
Wasatch  Mountains  as  seen  overlooking  the  valley,  has  been  pronounced  by 
great  artists  like  Bierstadt  and  Moran,  the  finest  which  our  continent  affords. 
Among  the  rocky  passes  of  this  range  are  other  beautiful  scenes,  alpine  lakes, 
snowy  peaks,  stretches  of  forest  and  beautiful  nooks  which  afford  'delightful 
and  healthful  recreation  to  those  who  explore  them  throughout  the  summer 
.months;  and  among  the  heights  of  the  Wasatch  as  well  as  in  the  canyons  of 
the  Oquirrh  which  bounds  the  valley  on  the  west,  millions  of  dollars  worth  of 
gold  and  silver,  lead  and  copper,  have  been  mined  to  add  to  the  prosperity  and 
wealth  of  the  citizens  of  the  county.  The  marvelous  Great  Salt  Lake,  famous 


70  RESOURCES    AND    ATTRACTIONS    OF    UTAH. 

among  all  travelers,  is  another  feature  of  the  valley,  and  its  unequalled  bathing 
affords  a  "principal  source  of  pleasure  to  its  people.  The  challenge  has  been 
offered,  but  never  taken  up,  that  no  scene  in  the  world  affords  so  many  ele- 
ments of  beauty  to  the  spectator  as  that  beheld  from  the  heights  above  Salt 
Lake  City.  The  population  of  the  county  is  set  at  67,000,  the  greater  part  of 
them  residents  of  the  capital  city.  Salt  Lake  County  has  an  area  of  only  784 
square  miles,  but  it  is  an  empire  within  itself,  and  the  centre  of  interest  to  the 
whole  Territory.  It  has  more  manufacturing  interests  located  within  its 
boundaries  than  all  the  rest  of  the  inter-mountain  country  combined,  and  has 
an  assessed  valuation  of  $ 48, 467, 854.  Although  its  manufacturing  and  com- 
mercial interests  predominate,  the  agricultural  features  of  the  county  are  by  no 
means  insignificant.  Over  27,000  acres  of  land  are  under  irrigation,  and  30,000 
under  cultivation,  and  generally  speaking,  it  is  high  cultivation.  Besides  this, 
there  are  15,000  acres  used  for  pasture.  The  agricultural  yield  is  valued  at 
$792,242.  On  the  day  that  the  Mormons  first  entered  the  valley,  July  24,  1847, 
the  first  furrow  was  plowed  in  the  Great  Basin,  and  that  year  the  agricultural 
possibilities  of  Utah  were  demonstrated.  No  valley  in  all  the  arid  regions 
surpasses  this  in  its  natural  facilities  for  irrigation.  The  water  supply  comes 
from  the  various  streams  which  issue  from  the  Wasatch  Mountains  into  the 
valley,  and  from  the  Jordan  River  which  flows  from  Utah  Lake;  and  the  whole 
area  of  the  eastern  side  of  the  valley  is  one  vast  net-work  of  canals  and  ditches. 
The  development  of  this  system  of  irrigation  has  accumulated  moisture  in  the 
soil,  so  that  a  far  larger  area  is  now  cultivated  than  appeared  possible  in  the 
early  history  of  the  valley.  As  stated  in  the  article  on  agriculture,  it  was  on 
the  outskirts  of  Salt  Lake  City  that  the  climax  of  wheat  production  in  Arnerica 
was  reached,  in  a  yield  of  over  80  bushels  to  the  acre.  The  kinds  of  crops 
have  the  greatest  acreage  in  the  following  order:  lucern,  wheat,  hay,  barley, 
potatoes,  corn,  rye,  orchards,  beets  and  vineyards.  Other  farm  products 
consist  of  butter,  honey,  dried  fruits,  vinegar,-  cider  and  wine.  The  county  has 
large  interests  in  cattle,  horses  and  sheep.  The  towns  and  cities  outside  ot 
Salt  Lake  are  Big  Cottonwood,  Brighton,  Bingham,  Mill  Creek,  Granger, 
Hunter,  North  Jordan,  Pleasant  Green,  Sugar  House,  South  Cottonwood,  the 
City  of  Sandy,  South  Jordan,  Union  and  West  Jordan.  A  great  enterprise 
now  under  way  is  the  Big  Cottonwood  Power  &  Water  Co.,  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $1,000,000,  organized  to  use  the  waters  of  Big  Cottonwood  Creek,  for 
the  generation  of  electric  power  for  general  use,  chiefly  in  Salt  Lake  City. 
The  principal  smelters  in  the  mountain  country  are  located  in  the  valley  about 
ten  miles  south  of  the  city;  they  consist  of  the  Hanauer,  Mingo  and  Germania 
smelters  and  Refinery,  and  are  usually  in  full  operation,  smelting  the  ores  of 
many  mining  districts  in  this  Territory  and  a  great  deal  that  are  brought  from 
Idaho  and  Nevada.  The  metallic  output  of  these  works  in  1893  was 
13,623,537.96. 

SALT  LAKE  CITY. 

Salt  Lake  City,  the  capital  of  Utah  Territory,  is  the  beautiful  metropolis  of 
the  inter-mountain  country,  and  its  singular  history  as  the  Zion  of  the  Mormons 
has  made  it  known  throughout  the  world.  It  was  the  first  city  to  be  settled  in 
the  western  part  of  the  continent,  and  was  well  known  before  Denver  was  first 
thought  of.  Passing  over  all  ancient  history,  however,  the  vital  interests  of 
Salt  Lake  City  as  they  exist  today,  can  scarcely  be  described  in  the  limited 
space  at  our  disposal  in  these  pages;  yet  many  of  the  salient  facts  relating  there- 
to are  at  least  indicated  in  the  articles  throughout  this  work,  because  whether 
Utah  is  discussed  as  to  its  climate,  agriculture,  commerce,  industries  or  social 
conditions,  the  interests  of  Salt  Lake  City  play  an  important  part  in  whatever 
aspect  they  are  considered.  The  city  itself  has  a  population  of  about  60,000. 
It  rests  upon  a  gentle  slope,  facing  to  the  south  and  west,  at  the  base  of  the 
Wasatch  Mountains.  Its  streets  are  132  feet  wide  and  in  the  central  part  are 
paved  with  Belgian  blocks  and  Utah  asphaltum.  ..They  all  run  north  and  south 


72  RESOURCES    AND    ATTRACTIONS    OF   UTAH. 

and  east  and  west.  Five  and  six  story  business  blocks,  built  of  stone  and 
equipped  with  all  modern  conveniences,  constitute  the  greater  portion  of  the 
business  part  of  the  city.  These  are  thoroughly  metropolitan  in  design  and 
appointments.  Street  after  street  is  lined  with  business  houses,  many  of  which 
absorb  a  large  volume  of  trade.  Every  line  of  business  is  well  represented 
and  a  large  jobbing  trade  is  done,  an  extensive  region  in  every  direction  being 
tributary  to  the  capital  of  the  Territory.  Sixteen  banks  with  an  aggregate 
capital  of  $6, 000,000  compass  the  financial  requirements  of  the  city;  they 
have  a  clearing  house  whose  clearings  in  1893  were  $58,456,129,  the  volume  o'f 
business  being  maintained  with  regularity  throughout  the  year.  This  unerring 
guide  to  the  business  activity  of  a  city  thus  proclaims  that  with  the  exception 
of  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  and  Portland,  Oregon,  Salt  Lake  City  is  the  most  import- 
ant business  centre  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  It  is  also  a  great  educational 
centre.  Seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  has  been  spent  dur- 
ing the  past  two  years  on  our  public  schools.  As  Mr.  W.  E.  Hubbard 
stated  on  retiring  at  the  end  of  last  year  from  the  Presidency  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  "No  true  American  can  ride  through  our  city, 
noting  the  beautiful  and  capacious  buildings,  of  most  approved  archi- 
tecture, noting  also  their  number,  and  fail  to  be  filled  with  pride 
at  the  opportunities  afforded  the  young  of  this  community.  The  corps  of 
teachers  consists  of  the  best  native  and  imported  talent,  who  have  perfected  a 
system  on  most  approved  lines,  and  fully  abreast  with  the  best  educational 
centres.  Our  school  board  deserves  especial  commendation  for  the  minute  at- 
tention given  to  the  details  of  light,  heat  and  ventilation.  The  poor  cannot 
plead  inability  to  educate  their  children  on  account  of  the  expense  of  books 
and  supplies,  for  these  are  generously  furnished  them  gratis." 

The  corporation  expended  on  city  improvements  last  year  $739,000  The 
city  and  county  building,  nearing  completion,  built  of  Utah  kyune  sandstone, 
at  a  cost  of  $550,000,  is  a  model  of  architecture,  and  a  new  and  beautiful  feature 
among  our  public  buildings.  Although  we  have  one  sewerage  system,  a  gravity 
sewer  is  being  constructed  at  a  cost  of  $300,000,  which  will  continue  to  keep 
our  city  the  healthiest  in  the  United  States,  as  the  records  for  the  past  two 
years  have  shown  it  to  be.  $20,000  was  spent  last  year  on  our  sidewalks,  and 
$250,000  on  street  paving.  Two  rival  electric  street  railway  companies  furnish 
rapid  transit  to  all  parts  of  the  city  and  to  the  suburbs.  One  of  them  has  forty- 
two  miles  of  track  and  operates  about  sixty  cars;  the  other  has  thirty-three  miles 
of  track  and  a  proportionate  equipment.  The  splendid  water  system  is  owned 
by  the  city  and  valued  today  at  $1,500,000.  The  city  fire  department  is  a  model 
of  effectiveness.  The  famous  Salt  Lake  Temple,  costing  $5,000  ooo,  built  of  white 
granite,  is  one  of  the  grandest  structures  in  America;  the  great  Mormon 
Tabernacle,  with  a  seating  capacity  of  10,000,  is  also  widely  famed.  A  number 
of  fine  hotels  with  all  modern  conveniences,  accommodate  the  traveling 
public.  Salt  Lake  City  possesses  many  unique  features  that  are  attractive  to 
the  tourist  and  are  a  theme  of  interest  to  the  thousands  who  remain  over  at  all 
seasons  to  examine  them ;  but  during  the  past  few  years  it  has  attracted  less 
attention  as  the  Zion  of  the  Mormons  than  as  the  active,  prosperous,  business 
center  of  the  western  commonwealth.  In  and  out  of  Salt  Lake  City  the  two 
great  western  railways  have  fetched  and  carried  for  many  years  the  great  bulk 
of  the  local  traffic  of  the  Territory  ;  importing  all  the  varied  supplies  for  the 
wants  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  people,  and  taking  away  train  loads  of  ore, 
and  a  vast  tonnage  of  bullion,  grain,  hides  and  wool,  manufactures  and  general 
merchandise.  Salt  Lake  City  is  one  of  the  great  tourist  resorts  of  America, 
and  its  celebrated  bathing  places  attract  thousands  to  stay  there  during  the 
summer.  During  the  period  of  financial  and  business  prostration  which  affected 
the  whole  country  in  1893,  there  was  no  city  which  escaped  its  effects  more  than 
Salt  Lake.  Not  a  bank  closed  its  doors,  and  no  business  failures  of  any 
importance  took  place.  The  real  estate  sales  of  last  year  amounted  to 
$6,500,000.  In  the  graces  of  civilization,  music,  fine  arts  and  literature,  Salt 
Lake  City  is  in  advance  of  any  other  western  city.  Associations  devoted 


THE    COUNTIES    OF    UTAH.  73 

separately  to  these  matters  not  only  exist,  but  flourish,  commanding  the  atten- 
tion and  respect  of  the  whole  country  and  adding  refinement  to  the  many  other 
advantages  of  life  in  the  mountain  metropolis. 

The  sanitary  advantages  of  the  thermal  and  medicinal  springs  which  exist 
within  the  city  limits  have  received  much  attention.  One  ot  the  principal 
efforts  in  this  direction  is  that  of  the  Salt  Lake  Hot  Springs  Sanitarium  Com- 
pany, organized  in  1892,  with  a  capital  of  $150,000.  It  is  built  in  the  heart  of 
the  city,  a  sanitarium  and  bathing  resort  second  to  none  in  the  world.  It  is  a  fine 
commodious  building  with  a  floor  space  of  about  50,000  square  feet.  The  water, 
at  a  temperature  of  112  degrees,  is  drawn  from  the  hot  sulphur  springs  on  the 
northern  outskirts  of  the  city,  with  a  flow  of  about  400  gallons  per  minute,  con- 
ducted to  the  heart  of  the  city  through  an  eight-inch  pipe  line,  entering  the 
establishment  at  a  temperature  of  no  degrees  Fahr.  Besides  large  separate 
swimming  pools  for  men  and  women,  there  are  twelve  private  pools  and  a  num- 
ber of  elegant  private  bath-rooms  furnished  with  porcelain  bath-tubs.  A  hotel 
and  gymnasium  are  connected  with  the  enterprise  in  the  same  building.  The 
medicinal  properties  of  the  water  consist  chiefly  of  common  salt,  epsom  salt, 
glauber's  salt  and  various  sulphates.  The  baths  are  an  acknowledged  cure  for 
nervousness,  catarrh,  rheumatism,  dyspepsia  and  other  diseases;  taken  inter- 
nally the  waters  are  a  specific  for  a  greater  number  of  afflictions.  The  advan- 
tages of  Wasatka  mineral  water,  another  famous  city  spring,  are  described 
under  the  head  of  mineral  resources. 

It  is  in  the  volume  and  variety  of  its  manufacturing  interests  that  Salt  Lake 
City  maintains  its  principal  importance.  There  are  about  one  hundred  manu- 
facturing concerns  in  about  fifty  different  lines,  with  a  capital  invested  of  over 
two  million  dollars,  and  an  annual  product  of  about  three  millions.  Among  the 
various  articles  of  commerce  manufactured  are  boots  and  shoes,  show-cases, 
cigars,  knit  goods,  soap,  paper  boxes,  machinery  and  boilers,  trunks,  leather, 
overalls,  clothing,  fire  brick,  flour  and  other  mill  products,  tents,  carriages,  beer, 
crackers,  soda  water,  copperware,  rope,  woolen  goods,  silk,  etc.  There  are 
also  a  number  of  foundries,  printing  offices,  book  binderies,  turning  shops, 
planing  and  wood  working  mills,  stone  yards,  lime-kilns  and  big  asphalt  works, 
the  great  copper  plant  described  in  our  general  article  on  the  industries  of  Utah, 
large  cement  works,  saddlery  shops,  salt  works,  creameries,  meat  packing 
houses,  an  artificial  ice  factory,  wire  works,  etc.  The  Salt  Lake  Pressed  Brick 
Company,  after  three  years  of  push  and  energy,  and  with  an  investment  of 
over  $60,000  have  succeeded  in  producing  a  red  shade  of  brick,  beautiful  in 
color  and  wonderful  in  strength.  One  of  its  bricks  stood  a  hydraulic  pressure 
of  240,000  pounds  This  concern  can  now  supply  the  demands  with  fine  facing 
brick,  displacing  previous  importations  from  the  east,  and  is  now  shipping  its 
product  to  Denver;  Leavenworth;  Kansas;  Butte,  Montana;  and  all  interior 
points.  Their  exhibition  was  awarded  a  gold  medal  at  the  World's  Fair,  and 
has  secured  two  gold  medals  from  our  Territorial  Fairs.  The  capacity  is  80,000 
bricks  per  day,  made  with  two  Boyd  presses. 

Putting  together  the  commerce  and  industries  of  Salt  Lake  City,  the 
capital  invested  in  1890  was  $14,500,000;  the  sales  amounted  to  $30,000,000;  and 
the  wages  paid  annually  were  nearly  $4,000,000. 


SAN  JUAN  COUNTY. 

San  Juan  County  occupies  a  vast  district  in  the  south-east  corner  of  the 
Territory — a  wild  region,  the  last  to  be  explored  among  the  mountains  of  the 
west;  yet  even  here,  settlement  has  already  begun  along  the  fruitful  river  bot- 
toms, which  drain  into  the  San  Juan  and  the  Colorado.  South  of  the  San 
Juan,  with  the'exception  of  a  little  strip  near  the  Colorado,  it  is  occupied  by  the 
Navajos  for  their  reservation.  In  the  southern  part  of  the  county  the  high 
and  mountainous  region  is  well  covered  with  long-leaf  pine,  cedar  and  pinyon 
pine.  The  greater  part  of  the  county,  however,  consists>f  high  plateaus,  fre- 


74  RESOURCES    AND    ATTRACTIONS    OF    UTAH. 

quently  divided  by  deep  and  impassable  gorges  cuf  through  sthersoft^sandstone 
to  a  depth  of  thousands  of  feet.  The  great  San  Juan  River  half  a  mile  wide, 
cuts  through  this  country,  with  perpendicular  cliffs  several  hundred  feet  in 
height.  The  river  bottom  is  sandy  and  the  stream  sluggish,  and  owing  to  its 
sudden  and  extreme  rises  and  changes  in  its  course  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
utilize  any  portion  of  it  for  irrigation.  A  number  of  locations  have  been  made, 
however,  along  its  course  and  much  money  has  been  expended  in  attempting  to 
control  its  waters  for  farming,  which  have  usually  failed,  except  at  Bluff  City 
where  some  200  acres  are  under  cultivation,  watered  from  a  canal  which  has 
cost  $6o,coo  to  construct.  This  would  seem  unprofitable  farming,  but  it  is 
absolutely  essential  to  the  residence  of  the  settlers,  who  are  extensively 
engaged  in  stock  raising.  Five  or  six  other  running  streams  traverse  the  coun- 
ty, and  where  these  are  not  too  closely  shut  in  by  the  cliffs  on  either  side  of  the 
river,  are  appropriated  and  used  by  small  farmers.  Although  the  altitude  at 
Bluff  City  is  only  4,500  feet,  the  extremes  of  temperature  are  reported  at  no 
degrees  in  summer  to  fourteen  degrees  below  zero  in  winter,  a  singular  excep- 
tion to  the  equable  climate  characteristic  of  the  Territory  in  general.  There 
is  but  little  snow  fall,  however,  in  San  Juan  County,  except  in  the  high  moun- 
tains. At  the  town  of  Monticello  the  altitude  is  7,500  feet,  and  the  snow  fall 
there  is  much  greater.  Notwithstanding  its  remoteness,  the  difficulty  of  securing 
water  and  its  other  disadvantages,  the  settlers  have  actually  produced  a  fair 
supply  of  apples,  peaches,  pears,  currants,  grapes,  sugar  cane,  lucern  and  all 
sorts  of  garden  products,  and  are  hopeful  of  still  further  increasing  the  volume 
of  their  agricultural  output.  The  mountains  have  been  but  little  explored  for 
mineral,  but  large  supplies  of  iron,  marble,  onyx,  lime  and  lithographing  stone, 
lead  and  copper,  have  been  revealed;  silver  in  lesser  quantity,  and  a  gold  excite- 
ment which  prevailed  in  the  neighborhood  a  year  or  two  ago  attracted  hundreds 
of  fortune  seekers,  who  found  the  much  coveted  metal  in  limited  quantities.but 
could  not  maintain  their  operations  under  such  adversefccircumstances. 


SANPETE  COUNTY. 

There  is  no  more  delightful  or  interesting  valley  in  the  whole  Territory  than 
Sanpete,  in  the  central  part,  and  none  which  has  maintained  more  continuous 
prosperity  since  the  settlement  of  the  country.  It  is  about  one  hundred  miles 
south  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  the  valley  has  an  altitude  of  nearly  6,000  feet. 
The  climate  is  delicious,  bright  and  sunny,  and  it  is  probably  the  most  fertile 
and  productive  valley  in  the  whole  inter-mountain  region.  Sanpete  Valley  has 
rivalled  Cache  Valley  in  its  claim  to  be  the  granary  of  Utah,  and  is  probably 
entitled  to  the  name,  because  it  was  the  first  to  achieve  a  right  to  the  title.  There 
are  50,000  acres  in  this  valley  under  cultivation,  and  twice  as  much  more  can  be 
considered  tillable.  The  price  of  land  here  is  $25  to  $50  per  acre.  Wheat  and 
oats  furnish  the  principal  crops,  the  output  being  not  less  than  a  quarter  of  a 
million  bushels  per  annum,  year  in  and  year  put.  Out  of  a  population  of 
15,000  people,  five-sixths  of  them  are  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  The 
Sanpitch  River  traverses  the  valley,  affording  with  its  beautiful  tributaries,  an 
abundance  of  water  for  irrigation,  although  numerous  drive  wells  furnish  a  still 
further  supply.  The  importance  of  this  county  will  be  realized  by  its  assessed 
valuation,  which  is  $4,429,600,  and  a  very  few  statistics  will  make  this  still  more 
clear: 

It  has  6,000  head  of  horses  and  mules,  1,000  head  of  cattle,  350,000  sheep. 
One  wool  company  alone  has  shipped  from  Manti,  the  county  seat,  to  Bos- 
ton, during  the  past  season,  2, 500,000  pounds  of  wool,  and  the  annual  shipments 
of  sheep  for  the  past  five  years  have  been  from  40,000  to  60,000  head.  Farms 
yield  to  the  acre,  forty  bushels  of  wheat,  fifty  bushels  of  oats,  sixty  bushels  of 
barley,  250  bushels  of  potatoes,  while  the  garden  products  such  as  carrots,  beets, 
radishes,  onions,  etc.,  are  prolific.  Such  fruits  as  apples,  pears,  plums,  apricots, 
gooseberries,  currants  and  strawberries  grow  to  perfection.  The  streams 


76  RESOURCES  AND  ATTRACTIONS  OF  UTAH. 

which  dash  down  from  the  Wasatch  Mountains  in  the  east  of  the  valley,  not 
only  supply  the  farms  with  irrigation  water  but  furnish  power  for  about  thirty 
mills  in  the  canyons;  and  the  pine  forests  of  the  Wasatch  and  Sanpitch  moun- 
tains make  lumber  plenty  and  cheap,  the  present  price  being  $15.00  per 
thousand  feet.  The  beautiful  oolite  sandstone  of  which  the  Manti  Temple  is 
built  is  a  cheap  and  popular  structural  material  for  the  residents  of  the  valley. 
Abundance  of  coal  and  fire  wood  exist  in  many  places  and  are  exported  to  the 
neighboring  valleys.  Reservoir  opportunities  are  to  be  found  in  many  places. 
The  Rio  Grande  western  Railway  run-;  the  entire  length  of  the  valley,  passng 
through  Indianola,  Milburn,  Fairview,  Mount  P.easant,  Spring  City,  Ephraim, 
Manti,  Sterling  and  onward  to  the  south.  Another  line  is  the  Sanpete  Va'ley 
Railway,  a  narrow  gauge  road,  leaving  the  Union  Pacific  at  Nephi  in  Juab 
County,  and  on  reaching  Sanpete  County  passes  through  Fountain  Green, 
Moroni,  Chester,  Freedom,  Wales  and  Ephraim  to  Manti,  its  present  terminus. 
Among  the  mineral  resources  of  the  county,  fine  prospects  of  silver  and  lead 
have  been  opened  in  the  west  mountains,  while  salt,  gypsum,  lime,  ochre, 
asphaltum,  fire-clay,  brick-clay,  alum,  saltpetre  and  other  minerals  abound  in 
the  county.  The  capital  of  Sanpete  County  is  Manti,  settled  in  1849,  situated 
at  the  foot-hills  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains  on  the  east  side  of  the  valley.  Its 
population  is  3,ooo,and  it  has  fine  school  houses  and  a  number  of  good  stores. 
The  beautiful  Manti  Temple,  a  marvel  of  architectural  grace  and  dainty  in 
color  and  design,  and  indeed  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  Mormon  Temples,  is  here 
located  on  a  point  of  a  hill  seventy  feet  above  the  level  of  the  town,  and  is  a 
conspicuous  feature  of  the  landscape  as  seen  from  many  mi'es  to  the  north  or 
south.  Manti  is  proud  of  its  fish  ponds  and  of  its  warm  springs,  its  clear 
atmosphere  and  romantic  scenery,  and  very  justly  claims  to  be  a  sanitarium. 
Ephraim  is  an  important  town  in  the  county  a  few  miles  north  of  Manti,  with 
a  population  of  2,700,  and  with  nearly  all  of  its  homes  built  of  solid  stone. 
Spring  City  is  again  a  few  miles  further  to  the  north.  Mount  Pleasant  is  the 
second  city  of  the  county  in  importance.  It  has  a  bank,  good  schools,  hotels, 
a  newspaper,  well  built  homes,  flourishing  farms  and  enterprising  citizens. 
Fairview,  Milburn,  Chester,  Wales,  Freedom,  Fountain  Green,  Sterling  and 
Mayfield  resemble  each  other  in  their  principal  attributes  of  thrift,  and  that  their 
inhabitants  are  happy  and  contented  in  the  midst  of  p'enty.  No  such  thing  as 
actual  poverty,  is  known  throughout  the  county.  The  average  wealth  of  the 
citizens  may  not  be  great  in  money,  but  they  a'l  have  the  means  of  sustaining  a 
comfortable  livelihood  and  many  of  them  are  nabobs  in  a  small  way  and  are 
surrounded  by  all  the  comforts  of  life  and  many  of  its  luxuries.  Their  lives 
are  passed  in  peace  and  quietude,  in  the  midst  of  fertile  fields,  surrounded  by 
magnificent  mountains,  in  a  healthful  climate.  They  have  good  horses  and 
vehicles,  good  roads,  great  barns  and  haystacks,  orchards  loaded  with  fruit, 
hives  full  of  honey,  cattle  on  a  thousand  hills,  flocks  and  herds  in  the  mountain 
vales,  and  if  they  are  not  happy  the  fault  lies  not  in  their  temporal  condition.; 


SEVIER  COUNTY. 

This  County  lies  south  of  Sanpete  and  is  almost  in  the  de^d  center  o  the 
Territory.  Sevier  Valley  and  one  of  its  tributaries,  Salina  Creek,  represent 
the  greater  part  of  its  area.  There  are  45,106- acres  of  tillable  land  already,  but 
this  will  be  largely  increased  during  the  coming  year  from  the  8000  acres  set 
aside  to  the  University  fund.  Sevier  is  an  agricultural  and  stock  raising  district, 
although  many  varieties  of  mineral  exist  wi'hin  its  lines.  Along  the  course  of 
the  Sevier  River  are  a  number  of  towns  of  some  importance,  and  between 
them  is  a  great  extent  of  arable  and  cultivated  land,  all  of  which  is  irrigated, 
there  being  206  miles  of  irrigating  canals  within  the  county  The  land  is  ex- 
tremely fertile,  the  usual  cereals  and  grasses  yielding  well.  Among  the  crops 
reported,  some  range  as  high  as  82  bushels  of  wheat  and  97  bushels  of  barley 
to  the  acre.  In  the  southeastern  portion  of  the  county  the  mountains  are  high, 


THE    COUNTIES    OF    UTAH.  77 

but  among  the  peaks  are  frequent  plateaus  of  great  extent,  whose  summer 
range  for  cattle  is  not  excelled  by  any  in  the  Territory.  The  scenery  among 
these  mountain  ranges  is  not  so  wild  as  it  becomes  further  south,  and  is  relieved 
by  the  view  of  large  stretches  of  timber  and  pasture  land.  The  county  is 
entered  by  the  Rio  Grande  Western  Railway,  whose  terminus  is  at  Salina,  and 
the  people  of  this  flourishing  town,  which  is  an  important  commercial  point, 
count  with  confidence  on  its  becoming  an  important  point  on  a  through  railway. 
It  is  more  than  likely  that  a  west  bound  line  will  make  Salina  a  junction  city, 
by  virtue  of  Salina  Canyon  being  a  natural  gateway  between  the  east  and  the 
west.  At  this  point  the  Wasatch  Mountains  may  be  crossed  more  easily  than 
by  any  other  pass,  the  grade  being  only  one  per  cent,  on  one  side  and  two  on 
the  other.  The  county  has  been  well  developed,  considering  its  remoteness, 
and  the  assessed  valuation  for  1893  was  $1,388,700  Building  stone  of  excellent 
quality  is  said  to  abound  in  the  foothills  of  the  mountains,  making  it  compara- 
tively cheap  for  substantial  homes  to  be  built.  The  population  is  about  7,500. 
Richfield  is  the  county  seat,  with  2000  people.  Like  nearly  all  of  the  other  towns 
in  the  county,  it  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  rich  farming  district.  It  is  said  to  be 
located  on  the  site  of  a  prehistoric  city,  whose  inhabitants  were  probably  at- 
tracted by  the  warm  medicinal  springs  which  flow  from  the  foothills.  The 
town  has  two  steam  planing  mills,  a  steam  flouring  mill  and  a  grain  elevator, 
besides  other  important  buildings.  Like  many  other  southern  towns, the  streets 
are  lined  with  shade  trees  and  streams  of  mountain  water.  Another  principal 
town  in  the  county  is  Monroe,  with  its  nice  residences  belonging  to  wealthy 
cattle  and  sheep  owners,  and  its  industrial  enterprises.  Salina,  the  terminus  of 
the  railway,  is  so  called  from  the  great  beds  of  rock  salt  which  exist  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  several  salt  works  are  engaged  in  a  small  way  in  this  branch 
of  manufacture.  Good  opportunities  for  further  development  exist  in  this 
direction.  Mexican  onyx,  alum,  coal  and  gypsum  abound  in  the  mountains 
near  by.  The  streams  in  this  county  are  well  filled  with  trout  and  attract  sports- 
men in  the  summer  season.  A  town  in  the  southern  part,  Joseph,  at  the  mouth 
of  Clear  Creek  Canyon,  where  the  soil  is  fertile  and  in  the  neighborhood  of 
undeveloped  mines  of  gold,  silver  and  copper,  has  a  large  flouring  mill,  a  small 
brass  foundry,  and  a  pork  packing  establishment.  It  is  also  supplied  with 
water  works  and  is  altogether  a  delightful  town.  Glenwood,  east  of  Richfield, 
is  a  little  town  which  is  proud  of  its  water  power,  having  two  flouring  mills,  and 
an  ambition  to  possess  other  manufacturing  concerns.  The  chief  interests  at 
the  present  time  are  those  that  pertain  to  the  range.  Other  towns  are  Red- 
mond, Aurora,  Sigurd,  Central,  Annabella  and  Burrville.  At  a  place  called 
Plateau  a  sanitarium  was  started  two  years  ago,  and  a  number  of  patients  found 
great  benefit  in  the  soft,  pure  atmosphere  of  this  mountain  resort. 


SUMMIT  COUNTY. 

BY    "49ER." 

This  county  lying  east  of  Salt  Lake  County,  embraces  ten  miles  in  length 
(from  the  Cottonwoods  east)  of  the  great  mineral  belt,  on  which  is  situated  the 
Ontario,  Daly,  Anchor,  Silver  King,  Crescent,  West  Daly,  Morgan,  Meears 
and  many  others  that  are  considered  paying  mines,  some  of  which  have  paid 
vast  sums  in  dividends,  and  will  do  so  again,  when  the  present  criminal  discrim- 
ination against  silver  is  at  an  end.  There  are  more  than  750  locations  on 
record,  most  of  them  surveyed  and  patented  in  Uintah  district.  The  limits  of 
this  pamphlet  will  not  permit  even  the  naming  of  the  promising  mining 
properties,  that  could  be  opened  to  employ  thousands  of  men  if  politics  and 
foreign  influences  would  let  us  alone.  Take  for  example  the  Ontario  Mine. 
In  twenty  years  it  has  taken  $30,000,000.  from  the  mines,  and  paid  in  dividends 
over  $14,000,000.  Its  stock  at  fifteen  dollars  per  share,  on  which  it  paid  fifty 
cents  monthly  for  eighteen  years  has  yielded  eighteen  per  cent,  per  annum,  and 
built  up  a  town  of  3000  inhabitants,  affording  a  market  for  the  surrounding 
country,  its  timber,  wood,  coal,  and  supplies  of  all  kinds.  The  pay  roll 


78  RESOURCES    AND    ATTRACTIONS    OF    UTAH. 

monthly  makes  happy  the  better  part  of  two  and  a  large  part  of  four  counties. 
This  belt  runs  along  and  is  the  dividing  line  between  Summit  and  Wasatch 
Counties,  the  valleys  of  each  being  farming  and  grazing  lands,  dotted  with 
ranches,  producing  hay,  grain  and  vegetables,  whil  *  the  hills  afford  grazing 
ranges  in  summer  for  sheep,  cattle,  and  horses.  When  these  mines  can  be 
worked  at  their  full  capacity,  and  other  properties  opened  up,  they  will  afford  a 
livelier  market  for  the  products  of  the  surrounding  country.  A  large  part  of 
the  profits  of  this  and  other  paying  properties  has  been  expended  in  develop- 
ment work  upon  hundreds  of  locations  on  the  great  belt,  one-half  of  the  entire 
output,  or  gross  product  having  been  expended  in  timber,  roads,  coal,  hoisting 
and  pumping  machinery,  mills,  thousands  of  acres  of  timber,  and  everything 
that  goes  to  make  up  a  great  plant,  as  complete  in  all  its  details  as  any  in  the 
United  States.  The  clock-like  regularity  and  uninterrupted  industry  of  the 
whole  plant,  to  put  the  ore  into  marketable  bullion,  has  not  been  excelled.  It 
is  probable  that  several  of  the  above  named  mines,  and  many  not  mentioned, 
will  approach  the  Ontario  as  future  developments  progress.  It  is  but  just  to 
the  owners  and  superintendents  of  the  Ontario,  Daly.  Silver  King,  Anchor  and 
Crescent,  to  say  that  they  are  representative  Americans,  that  in  these  stringent 
times  they  have  not  tried  to  reduce  wages,  and  will  keep  running  so  long  as 
expenses  can  be  paid.  The  miners  and  community  appreciate  the  fairness  and 
sympathy  of  Messrs.  Chambers,  Daly,  Keith,  Emery,  Kearns,  McGregor  and 
others  of  the  camp,  who  have  done  their  best  to  keep  the  mines  open  under 
adverse  circumstances.  There  is  nothing  that  pays  like  a  paying  mine.  A 
man  (like  some  in  Mexico)  may  build  up  a  family  record  300  years  old  with 
princely  revenues,  that  has  cost  only  moderate  prudence  and  tenacity  to  hold 
and  enjoy.  The  mines  of  Summit  and  Wasatch  Counties  are  not  the  only 
sources  of  revenue  of  these  counties.  Vast  quarries  of  sandstone  and  brown 
stone,  the  most  durable  of  building  rocks,  are  found  and  being  utilized  in  Salt 
Lake.  The  great  coal  veins  of  Summit  County  have  been  described  in  the 
chapter  on  the  mineral  resources  of  the  Territory. 

The  following  table  will  show  what  it  takes  to  produce  silver  bullion,  and 
for  what  silver  dollars  are  distributed.  The  disbursements  for  the  Ontario 
alone,  for  1890  were  as  follows: 

Payroll  and  Salaries, $535, ooo  co 

Cord  Wood, 34.180  75 

Lumber  and  Timber, 35,649.50 

Coal  from  Coalville, 81,794.22 

Salt, 29,662.82 

Castings,  Salt  Lake  Foundries, 12,867,10 

Beef  and  Vegetables, 21.72403 

Hauling  and  Sampling  Ore, „   .    .    .      55,853.10 

Sundries,  Powder,  Oil  Mach.,  Candles,  Groceries,  etc.  N.  Y. 

and  S.  F.  Offices, 310,323.54 

Dividends,  twelve  of  $75,000  each,  .    . .    .    .    900.000  oo 

Total, $2,017,055.06 

Other  mines  distribute  their  money  in  about  the  same  proportion.  The 
benefits  keep  alive  and  build  up  whole  communities  Considering  the 
aggregate  of  mines,  however,  and  the  hundreds  of  locations  that  do  not  pay, 
every  dollar  has  cost  more  than  TOO  cents,  but  it  has  multiplied  itself  in  its 
paying  capacity,  and  is  indestructible  for  all  time.  It  is  a  dollar  that  floods, 
rats,  and  fire  cannot  destroy.  Park  City,  Coalville,  Wanship,  Peoa,  Kamas, 
Echo,  and  a  number  of  villages  contain  the  population  of  Summit  County, 
which  by  no  means  depends  entirely  on  its  mineral  resources.  The  assessed 
valuation  is  $4, 157,296.00  which,  of  course,  does  not  include  the  value  of  its 
mines.  The  agricultural  lands  lie  along  the  courses  of  the  Bear,  Weber  and 
Provo  Rivers,  and  the  yield  per  acre  is  heavy.  The  water  supply  is  greater 
than  will  ever  be  used. 


80  RESOURCES    AND    ATTRACTIONS    OF    UTAH. 

TOOELE  COUNTY. 

This  county,  lying  west  of  Salt  Lake  County,  was  one  of  the  first  to  be 
settled  in  the  Territory.  It  is  among  the  largest  in  area,  but  a  great  portion  is 
absolutely  desert  and  may  never  be  of  any  value  whatever.  Strange  to  say, 
however,  the  desert  lands  are  all  set  aside  by  themselves  in  the  western  part  of 
the  county,  while  the  eastern  ha  f  is  as  beautiful  and  fertile  as  any  land  the  sun 
shines  upon.  In  the  lovely  Tooele  Valley,  lying  between  the  Oquirrh  and 
Stansbury  Mountains,  are  some  20,000  acres  of  tillable  land,  about  half  of  which 
is  cultivated  and  well  watered,  partly  from  mountain  streams  and  partly  from 
drive  artesian  wells,  which  yield  abundantly  in  most  parts  of  the  valley.  Cul- 
tivated land  in  this  valley  is  worth  as  high  as  $75  per  acre,  but  there  are  about 
100,000  acres  of  tillable  land  in  the  county  that  has  not  been  taken  up.  Among 
the  chief  farming  products  are  wheat,  which  sometimes  yields  as  high  as  eighty 
bushels  to  the  acre;  potatoes,  running  up  to  400  bushels;  lucern,  fruit,  etc.  A 
considerable  revenue  is  derived  from  the  stock  interests,  wool,  hides,  beef  and 
mutton  being  shipped  in  large  quantities.  Fruit  is  exceptionally  fine  in  flavor, 
and  the  crops  are  large.  Peaches  yield  as  much  as  300  bushels  of  handsome 
fruit  to  the  acre.  A  fruit  canning  and  evaporating  concern  could  do  well  in 
Tooele  City;  and  it  has  been  suggested  that  a  fruit  distillery  would  pay,  owing 
to  the  cheapness  of  the  fruit  and  the  large  quantities  that  go  to  waste  every 
season  for  want  of  a  market.  Among  the  other  enterprises  invited  to  Tooele 
County  are  a  dairy  and  cheese  making  concern,  and  an  electric  light  and  power 
company,  utilizing  the  water  power  of  Tooele  City,  which  has  a  fine  system  of 
water  works.  The  region  is  extremely  healthful  and  conducive  to  long  life, 
and  the  beautiful  scenery,  with  mountain,  lake  and  islands  in  full  view,  make 
the  eastern  part  of  the  county  a  very  pleasant  place  to  live  in. 

In  the  mineral  history  of  Utah,  Tooele  County  has  played  an  important 
part,  some  of  the  richest  viens  ever  found  in  the  West  having  been  among  the 
first  mines  to  be  worked  in  the  county.  The  celebrated  Ophir  district  has  con- 
tributed millions  to  the  gold,  silver  and  copper  wealth  of  the  nation.  Some  of 
the  best  properties  of  the  Deep  Creek  region,  in  the  extreme  western  part  of 
the  Territory,  are  also  within  its  lines.  But  its  treasure  trove  is  now  the  greater 
part  of  the  Mercur  gold  region,  just  coming  into  prominence  as  one  of  the 
most  extraordinary  discoveries  of  the  age.  Unlike  the  Deep  Creek  deposits, 
these  have  the  advantage  of  being  near  the  line  of  a  great  railway. 

Garfield  Beach,  the  great  bathing  resort  of  the  Union  Pacific,  on  the  shore 
of  Great  Salt  Lake,  is  in  Tooele  County,  on  the  line  of  the  Utah  and  Nevada 
Railway,  whose  terminus  is  near  Grantsville. 

The  population  of  the  county  is  about  5,000,  and  the  assessed  valuation 
$1,809,802,  but  with  the  Mercur  developments  these  will  both  be  greatly 
increased  during  the  present  year. 


UINTAH  COUNTY. 

Uintah  County  covers  a  large  area,  but  the  greater  portion  of  it  is  occupied 
by  the  Uintah  and  Uncompahgre  reservations.  The  northern  part  of  the  county, 
however,  along  the  valley  of  the  Duchesne,  is  fertile  and  sustains  a  flourishing 
farming  and  trading  population.  The  principal  town  is  Vernal,  and  for  a  con- 
siderable distance  east  and  west  of  this  settlement,  along  the  base  of  the  lofty 
Uintah  Mountains,  the  farming  land  is  all  taken  up,  and  is  yielding  excellent 
crops,  but  the  district  open  to  settlement  for  such  purposes  is  cut  off  on  the 
south  by  the  Indian  reservations  and  on  the  north  by  the  high  mountains. 
These  mountains  afford  a  vast  supply  of  timber,  their  northern  flanks 
being  the  greatest  forest  region  of  the  Territory.  The  scenic  features  of  this 
county  are  not  excelled  by  any  in  the  Territory,  although  they  are  peculiar;  the 
wonders  consisting  of  the  narrow  rocky  gorges  through  which  the  waters  drain 
from  the  snowy  peaks  of  the  Uintah  Mountains.  The  population  of  the  county 


THE    COUNTIES    OF    UTAH.  81 

is  about  4000.  But  for  its  remoteness  from  railroad  communication  the  mining 
interests  of  this  region  would  have  received  a  great  deal  of  attention.  Gold, 
silver  and  lead  ores  are  found  in  great  quantity,  and  in  the  old  Bullionville 
district  is  one  of  the  greatest  copper  mines  to  be  found  in  this  country.  This 
property  is  so  vast  and  so  rich  that  even  located  as  it  is,  eastern  parties  have 
spent  considerable  money  on  its  development,  and  the  ore  has  been  taken  by 
wagons  one  hundred  miles  over  the  mountains  to  the  railway,  sent  thence  to 
Chicago,  and  profit  realized  on  its  shipment.  The  people  of  this  county  look 
forward  to  the  day  when  a  railway  will  traverse  the  valley  of  the  Duchesne  on 
its  way  from  Colorado  to  Salt  Lake  City,  in  which  case  the  wonderful  re- 
sources of  this  region  will  soon  become  apparent.  It  is  in  Uintah  County,  near 
Fort  Duchesne,  that  the  large  bodies  of  gilsonite  or  asphaltum  have  been  found, 
and  shipments  have  been  made  to  the  amount  of  hundreds  of  carloads  to  all 
the  principal  cities  of  the  east,  where  it  is  in  steady  demand  for  the  manu- 
facture of  varnish. 


UTAH  COUNTY- 

BY   D.    R.   CORAY. 

This  garden  spot  of  Utah,  in  the  center  of  the  territory  and  in  the  central 
and  most  fertile  part  of  the  Great  Basin,  is  not  alone  a  garden,  but  the  most 
beautiful  district  in  all  the  mountain  region.  Utah  Lake,  its  central  gem,  is 
bordered  on  every  side  by  thousands  of  acres  of  richest  farming  land,  while  the 
towering  peaks  of  the  Wasatch  and  Oquirrh  ranges  form  a  background  to  it 
all.  Scarcely  any  place  on  earth  shows  a  fairer  picture  It  has  a  population  of 
30,000,  and  an  area  of  2124  square  miles  The  mountains  occupy  1424  square 
miles,  and  the  valley  suitable  for  agriculture,  565  square  miles.  The  area  of 
Utah  Lake  is  155  miles.  Of  tillable  land  there  are  342,400  acres,  of  which  there 
is  under  cultivation  91,200  acres;  251,200  acres  are  capable  of  cultivation.  The 
average  elevation  of  the  valleys  above  the  sea  is  4,500  to  4,800  feet;  the  highest 
mountain  peak  is  12,000  feet,  being  one  of  the  highest  peaks  of  the  Wasatch 
range.  The  assessed  valuation  is  $10,000,000.  (Mines,  irrigation  properties, 
school  property  and  mortgages  are  non-assessable.)  The  total  valuation  of 
developed  mining  property  is  $16,000,000 ;  irrigation  properties,  $3  000,000. 
The  average  valuation  per  capita  is  #966.66.  The  county  has  no  bonded  in- 
debtedness, but  has  municipal  bonds  of  $125,000,  and  school  bonds  of  $47.500. 
The  county  has  206.35  miles  of  standard  guage  railroad  now  in  operation, 
traversing  the  county  in  every  direction.  The  valuation  of  school  property  is 
$321,921.00. 

Utah  County  has  sixteen  thriving  cities  and  villages.  Provo,  the  county- 
seat,  is  the  largest,  having  a  population  of  6,000.  It  is  beautifully  situated  on 
the  east  shore  of  Utah  Lake,  with  broad  streets'  on  either  side  of  which  flow 
clear  streams  of  pure  mountain  water  bordered  with  shade  trees.  A 
few  hours  drive  [takes  one  from  the  busy  city  into  the  grandest  scenery  in  the 
Wasatch  and  the  best  trout  fishing  in  the  west.  The  scenery  in  the  North  Fork 
of  the  Provo  River  is  unsurpassed  anywhere,  and  Utah  Lake  invites  the  bathers 
on  hot  summer  days.  Provo  is  located  on  two  transcontinental  railways,  the 
Rio  Grande  Western  and  the  Union  Pacific,  and  in  all  probability  will  be  on  the 
next  transcontinental  line  that  is  built,  as  Provo  Canyon  is  the  best  natural  gate- 
way through  the  Wasatch.  To  all  of  the  valley  of  Utah  Lake  and  the  vast 
Territory  of  the  South,  Provo  is  the  natural  distributing  point. 

Public  Institutions. — At  Provo  is  located  the  Territorial  Insane.  Asylum — 
erected  at  a  cost  of  $300,000.00.  The  B.  Y.  Academy  has  a  wide-spread  reputa- 
tion as  a  seat  of  learning.  Most  of  its  students  come  from  other  places.  The 
Proctor  Academy,  controlled  by  the  New  West  Educational  Commission,  is 
conducted  on  a  regular  academic  plan. 

Provo  has  a  complete  system  of  water  works,  and  electric  light  and  street 
car  service. 


82 


RESOURCES    AND    ATTRACTIONS    OF   UTAH. 


CITIES   AND   TOWNS. 

Lehi  is  a  thriving  town  in  the  north  end  of  the  county  witn  a  population  of 
3,000.  Its  principal  industry  is  the  Lehi  Sugar  Works  and  it  is  the  nearest 
town  of  any  size  to  the  Camp  Floyd  mining  camp.  It  has  a  most  efficient  city 
government,  and  starts  the  year  of  1894  without  a  dollar  of  indebtedness. 
Lehi  is  the  junction  of  the  Union  Pacific  and  the  Salt  Lake  and  Western  Rail- 
roads. The  principal  shipping  products  receive  special  mention  hereafter. 

Springville. — Six  miles  south  of  Provo,  is  a  thriving,  beautiful  city  of  2,500 
people  who  have,  for  many  years,  kept  the  city  "a  prohibition  town."  It  is  on 
the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  and  is  the  junction  of  the  Tintic  Range  and  Rio 
Grande  Western  Railroad.  Situated  midway  between  and  on  the  direct  line  of 
railroad  between  the  iron  and  coal  fields  of  Utah  County,  with  splendid  facilities 
as  a  manufacturing  center,  its  future  is  assured. 

Spanish  Fork  and  Payson  are  each  thriving  centers  of  large  agricultural 
districts,  and  are  the  principal  points  of  shipment  of  agricultural  products  with- 
in the  county. 

First  of  Utah  County's  developed  resources  are  her  Agricultural  Products^ 
in  which  she  is  among  the  first  in  rank  of  Utah's  counties.  A  brief  summary  is 
here  given  of  her  cultivated  land  and  the  most  important  products: 


Acres        Average  yield    Highest  yield 
Cultivated.        per  acre.  per  acre. 

Wheat 11,000          30  bu.          60  bu. 

Barley 8,125          32     "  76    " 

Oats 6,240          35  90    ' 

Rye 5460         25  50    ' 

Sugar 2,200          13  tons         35  tons 

Orchard  and  vineyard .    3,640 

Potatoes 3,000 

Sorgum 650 

Buckwheat 600 

Flax 230 

Garden 2,100 

Alfalfa 23.790  4  tons         10  tons 

Tame  and  wild  grasses  16,500  2     "  3^' 

Forest  and  Park    .    .    .    3,000 


300  bu.        840  bu. 


Average 
Price. 

$  .70  per  bu. 
.90  per  cwt. 
i. oo        " 
i. oo        " 
5.00  per  ton. 

.30  per  bu. 


5.00  per  ton, 
7.00 


Nearly  all  of  the  products  are  consumed  within  the  Territory  with  the 
exception  of  barley,-  rye,  potatoes  and  alfalfa.  These  find  ready  sale  in  the 
Eastern  market,  a  higher  price  being  paid  for  the  barley  and  rye  than  for  the 
Eastern  prairie  product.  Large  quantities  of  barley  are  shipped  to  Milwaukee, 
St.  Louis  and  California,  where  it  rates  up  to  the  best  Canadian  Brewing.  Utah 
potatoes  are  known  and  in  demand  everywhere,  while  alfalfa  finds  a  ready  sale 
in  all  markets.  Utah  County  wheat  is  a  brighter,  fuller  kernalthan  the  Eastern 
products  as  all  irrigation  products  are.  It  grades  as  No.  2  red  in  the  market, 
but  little  of  it  gets  farther  away  than  Colorado.  The  demand  in  the  intermoun- 
tain  region  exceeding  production,  it  is  all  consumed  at  home.  Spanish  Fork 
produces  more  wheat  than  any  other  precinct  in  the  county,  and  their  yield  is 
larger  per  acre  principally  for  the  reason  that  they  have  learned  to  use  the 
water  economically.  Flax,  sorgum  and  buck  wheat  are  only  produced  in  small 
quantities  for  home  consumption. 

Sugar  Beet  Industry. — The  chief  agricultural  product  at  present  is  sugar 
beets.  The  crop  for  1893,  as  received  at  the  Lehi  Sugar  Factory,  is  estimated 
at  26,800  tons.  The  price  paid  at  the  factory  was  $5.00  per  ton,  or  $135,000 
for  the  entire  crop.  Work  began  in  the  early  part  of  September  and  ended  for 
the  season  in  January.  At  the  close  of  this  season  26,800  tons  of  beets  had  been 
consumed,  yielding  3,877,110  pounds  of  dry  granulated  sugar  of  first  quality. 
The  daily  average  01  beets  used  was  305  tons,  and  the  output  of  sugar  412  sacks 
of  98  pounds  each.  The  totals  of  other  materials  consumed  in  the  manufacture 
during  the  past  season  up  to  November  3oth,  were  as  follows:  4,676  tons  of 


84  RESOURCES    AND    ATTRACTIONS    OF    UTAH. 

coal  and  1700  tons  of  limestone,  which  required  7328  bushels  of  coke  to  convert 
it  into  lime  (all  Utah  County  products).  The  factory  is  the  largest  in  the 
United  States,  employing  150  regular  working  men,  and  the  quality  of  the  sugar 
produced  has  been  attested  by  the  awarding  committee  of  the  Columbian 
Exposition,  which  gave  to  it  the  first pr^ze. 

The  great  importance  of  the  suga.  enterprise,  however,  is  more  strikingly 
revealed  in  its  agrarian  feature.  The  average  yield  of  the  beets,  after  careful 
comparison,  has  been  fixed  at  13  tons  per  acre,  wich  a  maximum  yield  of  35 
tons.  To  deliver  the  crop  at  the  factory  costs  the  farmer  an  average  of  30  cents 
a  ton.  Out  of  the  gross  receipts  of  $65.00  per  acre  he  therefore  receives  $61.10 
per  acre  as  the  net  proceeds  of  his  labor  from  the  present  average  crop.  But 
in  the  difference  between  the  average  and  the  maximum  crop  appears  a  vast 
opening  for  improvement  in  the  methods  of  cultivation.  Moreover  there  is  a 
like  difference  manifest  in  the  amount  of  saccharine  matter  produced  from  a 
given  quantity  of  beets.  The  average  yield  per  ton  of  beets  has  been  ascer- 
tained to  be  130  pounds  for  the  present  season,  while  the  largest  quantity 
produced  from  one  ton  was  200  pounds. 

It  is  manifest,  then,  by  experiment  in  fertilizing  and  general  tillage  and  in 
selection  of  land,  a  very  much  larger  average  may  be  reached  than  the  one 
given;  thus  increasing  the  profit  of  both  the  farmer  and  manufacturer.  The 
further  fact  that  the  present  season  is,  in  these  respects,  very  much  in  advance 
of  its  predecessors,  shows  the  high  water  mark  in  cultivation  is  near  at  hand. 
J.  R.  Jones,  Lehi,  reports  having  raised  last  year  127  tons  of  sugar-beets  on 
four  acres  of  land.  A.  J.  Webb  raised  over  214  tons  from  ten  acres,  for  which 
he  received  $1,072,25. 

Orchard  and  Vineyard  are  considered  together  as  to  acreage,  on  account 
of  their  inseparability,  because  nearly  every  farmer's  vineyard  is  a  part  of  his 
orchard.  Though  occupying  only  one-third  of  the  acreage,  in  the  care  given 
and  in  the  value  of  its  product,  the  vineyard  stands  far  ahead,  for  many  of  the 
vineyards  were  only  planted  recently  and  every  care  has  been  given  in  culture 
and  the  planting  of  the  best  quality  of  grapes.  The  product  is  equal  to  the 
best  California  grapes.  The  orchards  of  the  county  are  extensive,  though  but 
little  cared  for;  when  care  is  given  them  the  vield  is  as  large  and  the  quality  of 
the  fruit  as  fine  as  any  produced  in  the  United  States.  One  orchard  of  thirteen 
acres  in  the  north  end  of  the  county  has  produced  for  the  last  five  years  an 
average  of  $10,000  per  annum,  and  a  great  many  other  horticulturists  have 
recently  planted  orchards  varying  in  area  from  five  to  two  hundred  acres, with  a 
prospect  of  ultimately  attaining  this  same  success.  All  kinds  of  apples,  pears, 
peaches,  plums,  cherries,  apricots  and  prunes  grow  here  to  perfection.  Most 
of  the  product  is  consumed  at  home, the  shipments  at  the  present  time  amount- 
ing to  not  over  twenty  car  loads  per  annum. 

Utah  County  has  50  ooo  acres  of  as  fine  vineyard  and  fruit  land  as  can  be 
found  any  where,  with  a  climate  particularly  adapted  to  the  culture  of  the  same. 

Live  Stock. — There  are  owned  in  the  county  at  present  something  over 
250,000  sheep.  The  average  clip  of  Utah  County  sheep  is  seven  pounds  per 
fleece,  making  an  annual  production  of  1,750,000  pounds  of  wool.  Our  factories 
only  consume,  at  present,  from  450,000  to  550,000  pounds  of  wool,  leaving  a 
surplus  for  shipment  of  1,200,000  pounds  This,  at  the  prices  of  1891  and 
1892,  brought  to  the  sheep  raisers  of  the  county  for  wool  exported,  $216,000. 
The  manufactured  woolen  goods  produced  by  the  two  woolen  mills  of  the 
county,  only  using  about  one-fourth  of  the  clip,  sold  for  about  $180,000;  $250,- 
ooo  is  received  annually  for  muttons  shipped  to  Chicago;  this  gives  an  annual 
income  from  all  the  branches  of  the  sheep  industry  $646,000.  If  all  the  wool 
was  manufactured  in  the  county  this  would  amount  to  over  $1,000.000  per 
annum. 

There  are  owned  in  Utah  County  some  10,000  head  of  range  cattle,  and 
6,500  head  of  milch  cows.  A  small  portion  of  our  beef  cattle  find  an  eastern 
market  though  nearly  all  are  consumed  at  home. 

The  milch  cows  play  quite  an  important  part  in  the  good  living  of  the 
residents  of  the  county.  There  are  creameries  all  ever  the  county  at  a  distance 


THE    COUNTIES    OF    UTAH.  85 

of  about  six  miles  from  each  other  making  a  cash  market  for  any  surplus  of 
milk.  The  pulp  of  the  sugar  beets,  after  the  sugar  has  been  extracted,  is  proving 
very  satisfactory  for  the  fattening  of  beef  steers  and  is  finding  a  ready  market 
among  feeders  at  a  price  of  seventy-five  cents  per  ton. 

The  county  possesses  horses  and  mules,  9,600,  hogs,  3,600. 

The  Provo  Woolen  Mitts.— The  erection  of  the  Provo  Woolen  Mills  was 
commenced  prior  to  1870.  The  main  building  is  a  four-story  stone  structure, 
and  is  the  largest  woolen  factory  west  of  the  Missouri  River.  It  was  built  at  a 
time  when  building  material  and  machinery  were  very  high;  but,  considering 
the  fact  that  it  was  the  first  woolen  mill  built  west  of  Chicago,  has  survived 
panics,  has  never  been  mortgaged,  has  paid  dividends  nearly  every  year,  and 
has  kept  abreast  of  the  times,  the  people  of  the  county  and  territory  look 
upon  it  with  pride  as  the  best  object  lesson  of  home  manufacture.  The  mill  is 
an  eight  set  plant,  employs  125  operatives  and  consumes  400,000  to  450,000  Ibs. 
of  wool  annually.  Its  annual  output  brings  the  owners  $125,000  to  $150,000, 
exclusive  of  its  electric  light  plant,  which  furnishes  Provo  City  with  light.  The 
power  is  derived  from  a  canal  from  Provo  River,  developing  at  ihe  mills  100 
horse  power,  with  5,000  cubic  feet  of  water  per  minute  over  a  16  foot  fall. 

James  Whitehead,  Jr.,  of  Springville,  owns  and  operates  a  woolen  mill  of 
one-fourth  the  capacity  of  the  Provo  Woolen  Mill,  with  proportionately  the 
same  results. 

Undeveloped  Resources. — The  first  and  most  important  of  these  is  the 
undeveloped  farming  lands  of  the  county.  These  amount  to  251,200  acres,  that 
are  a  desert  without  irrigation,  but  with  irrigation  are  as  productive  as  any  land 
that  man  ever  put  plow  into;  therefore  the  consideration  of  our  water  supply  is 
necessary  first.  The  streams  of  the  county  flowing  into  the  Utah  Lake  basin, 
have  an  average  annual  flow  of  1165  cubic  feet  of  water  per  second,  or  over 
36,510.000,000  cubic  feet  per  annum,  sufficient  to  irrigate  838,150  acres  of  land. 
Artesian  water  is  found  everywhere  at  depths  varying  from  25  to  200  feet,  with 
good  constant  supply,  and  force  enough  to  raise  the  water  20  feet  above  the 
surface— nearly  every  farm  has  one  or  more.  In  the  county,  only  91,200  acres 
are  now  irrigated,  and  the  summer  flow  of  the  streams  is  claimed,  but  not  used, 
in  this  irrigation  and  for  power  purposes.  On  two  canals  recently  built  the 
repairs  are  less  than  four  per  cent.  Not  many  years  hence  Utah  County  will  be 
as  well  and  economically  watered  as  any  part  of  California.  With  water  for 
832,150  acres,  and  only  342,400  to  water,  we  have  an  over-abundant  supply.  At 
present  most  of  the  water  goes  to  waste,  as  it  comes  chiefly  when  the  snow  is 
melting  in  the  early  summer,  but  natural  reservoirs  exist  upon  the  upper 
courses  of  all  the  streams  and  can  be  utilized  at  a  small  expense.  As  yet, 
development  in  this  line  is  in  its  infancy.  At  only  one  point  has  anything  been 
done,  and  that  is  by  the  Starr  Irrigation  Company,  a  home  enterprise.  This 
company  is  storing  the  waters  of  Currant  Creek,  and  irrigating  25,000  acres  of 
the  fine  lands  of  Goshen  Valley.  Their  work  is  not  completed,  but  their 
estimates  show  the  total  co>t  of  the  reservoir  and  canals  will  be  less  than  $6.00 
per  acre  for  the  lands  irrigated.  The  dam,  which  stores  1,200,000,000  cubic  feet 
of  water,  will  cost  only  $10,000,  is  of  solid  masonry,  and  is  built  in  a  natural  gate- 
way to  the  upper  valley,  which  is  only  140  feet  wide.  It  is  only  in  the  storage 
of  large  bodies  of  water  that  the  cost  per  acre  of  irrigated  land  can  be  brought 
to  the  low  figures  given  here,  and  it  is  impossible  for  one  or  a  few  farmers  to  do 
it,  yet  it  gives  the  finest  inducement  to  capital  that  can  be  found  anywhere. 

Next  in  importance  to  agriculture  is  the  use  of  our  water  power  for 
manufacturing  purposes.  Nine  flouring  mills,  two  woolen  mills,  four  planing 
mills,  three  foundries  and  ten  saw  mills  now  use  water  as  their  motive  power, 
and  their  combined  plants  represents  650  horse  power. 

Every  stream  in  the  county  represents  a  yast  source  of  undeveloped  wealth 
in  the  power  that  a  proper  use  of  its  water  will  furnish. 

Utah  County  will  in  the  near  future  develop  and  use  this  great  power 
which  at  present  is  going  to  waste  every  day,  the  few  manufactures  already 
established  here  having  fully  demonstrated  the  fact  that  everything  the  entire 
people  need  and  use  can  be  manufactured  cheaper  and  better  here  than  to  send 


86  RESOURCES    AND    ATTRACTIONS    OF    UTAH. 

our  products  east  2000  miles  for  manufacture  and  back  for  use,  for  Utah's  wool 
crop  alone  furnishes  employment  for  thousands  of  people  in  the  far  East  who 
do  not  want  our  silver,  and  are  keeping  those  who  do  want  it  from  using  it. 
In  a  short  time  our  natural  facilities  will  be  developed;  Utah  will  manufacture 
all  she  needs  and  the  East  cannot  have  our  gold.  The  only  way  they  could 
have  kept  our  people  tributary  to  them  was  to  keep  us  digging  in  the  hills 
instead  of  developing  our  natural  resources;  that  they  have  refused  to  do,  and 
the  East  can  soon  wear  its  own  manufactured  goods.  A  volume  might  be 
written  on  the  undeveloped  water  power  of  Utah  County  and  do  no  more  than 
justice  to  its  actual  resources.  Those  who  are  interested,  or  wish  to  be,  in 
manufacturing  or  power  development  in  the  inter-mountain  region  can  come 
and  see  us,  and  we  will  take  pleasure  in  showing  you  our  power  facilities,  the 
finest  trout  fishing,  with  the  grandest,  most  beautiful  natural  scenery,  all  on  the 
same  stream  and  within  easy  drive  of  our  central  and  capital  city,  Provo. 

Third  in  importance  are  the  Mines  and  Quarries  of  which  the  following  are 
found  within  the  county;  gold,  silver,  iron,  lead,  coal,  asphaltum  and  bituminous 
limestone,  ozokerite,  slate,  onyx,  graphite,  marble.granite,  sandstone,  antimony, 
cinnabar,  sulphur,  zinc,  copper,  serpentine,  limestone  and  soda. 

Utah  County,  while  depending  mainly  on  its  agricultural  resources,  repre- 
sents an  immense  field  of  mineral  wealth,  mostly  undeveloped,  and  each  year 
some  great  strike  of  ore  in  the  mining  districts  turns  the  attention  of  her  people 
to  look  for  wealth  in  the  mines  and  prospects.  Up  to  the  year  1893  silver  has 
been  the  principal  metal  sought  for,  but  the  recent  discoveries  of  gold  in  the 
Camp  Floyd  District  together  with  the  legislation  against  silver,  has  placed  gold 
to  the  front  in  our  metals.  Gold  is  found  in  paying  quantities  at  Camp  Floyd 
in  the  form  of  a  chloride,  which  can  only  be  milled  successfully  by  the  cyanide 
process,  Pt  a  cost  of  mining  and  milling  of  only  $1.92  per  ton  of  ore. 

Camp  Floyd  Mining  district  is  in  Utah  and  Tooele  Counties,  about  half  of 
the  present  claims  being  in  each  county.  The  nearest  railroad  point  is  Fairfield 
on  the  Union  Pacific,  six  miles  from  the  mines.  The  principal  mines  now 
operated  are  the  Mercur  and  the  Marion  Groups,  the  former  of  which  is  in 
Tooele  and  the  latter  in  Utah  County.  The  ore  is  low  grade,  running  from 
$4.00  to  $24  oo  per  ton,  but  is  found  in  very  large  masses  extending  over  an 
immense  territory  estimated  at  not  less  than  500  square  miles,  the  larger  portion 
of  which  is  in  Utah  County.  The  most  attractive  fea  ure  of  the  mines  is  that 
the  ores  do  not  lie  deep  and  pay  almost  from  the  surface.  Mining  for  silver  has 
been  carried  on  in  this  district,  for  a  number  of  years,  but  the  gold  discoveries 
are  quite  recent.  The  Mercur  and  some  other  mines  have  been  known  for  over  a 
year,  but  the  knowledge  was  not  general  until  late  in  1893.  In  the  coming 
spring  it  will  be  the  most  profitable  field  to  work  in  in  the  West.  There  are 
about  500  men  in  the  district  working  the  claims  already  located,  but  conserva- 
tive men  estimate  that  many  thousands  will  be  working  there  within  two  years. 
The  district  now  produces  $60,000.00  per  month  in  gold.  The  milling  capacity 
at  present  is  120  tons  per  day. 

Silver  and  lead  is  found  in  the  mountains  of  Utah  County  in  paying  quanti- 
ties on  all  sides,  though  the  most  productive  mines  are  in  the  Tintic  District, 
which  is  partly  in  Utah  and  partly  in  Juab  Counties,  comprising  the  great  mines 
around  Eureka  and  Silver  City,  among  which,  within  the  county,  are  the  Sioux, 
Northern  Spy,  Bullion-Beck,  Caresa,  Tintic  Tunnel  Company,  Utah  Consoli- 
dated and  Godiva,  all  dividend  paying,  and  in  the  American  Fork  District 
which  joins  the  Park  City  District  of  Summit  County  in  which  some  great  pro- 
ducing mines,  as  the  Miller,  Wild  Dutchman  and  Pittsburg  have  been  found. 

The  splendid  coalfields  of  the  county,  are  described  under  the  head  of 
mining.  In  Utah  County  near  Tintic  are  situated  vast  iron  fields,  capable  of 
furnishing  millions  of  tons,  so  free  in  its  nature  that  it  is  used  as  a  flux  by  the 
smelters  of  Salt  Lake  Valley.  The  Utah  Valley  Iron  Mining  &  Manufacturing 
Company,  of  which  Mr.  A.  A.  Noon  of  Provo,  is  president  and  manager,  and  to 
whose  individual  effort  most  of  the  present  development  is  due, is  the  largest  op- 
erator. The  property  consists  of  large  bodies  of  iron  ore  less  than  thirty  miles 
rom  Provo  City.  The  deposits  extend  over  some  320  acres  of  ore,  which  is 


THE    COUNTIES    OF    UTAH.  87 

found  in  dikes.  For  mining  the  ore  it  is  only  necessary  to  clear  off  a  light 
covering  of  earth,  and  then  to  quarry  with  drill  and  powder;  the  workings  are 
nearly  100  feet  high,  but  this  is  not  the  depth  of  the  beds,  for  the  floors  of  these 
quarries  are  of  solid  iron  ore,  and  of  the  purest  quality,  reaching  in  the  earth 
to  unknown  depths.  Developments  have  been  made  in  these  deposits  exposing 
such  qualities  of  ore  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  name  a  place  where  they  are 
rivaled  in  extent  or  excellence  of  quality.  The  working  of  these  bodies  is 
inexpensive.  The  Rio  Grande  Western  Railroad  runs  within  six  miles  of  the 
mines,  and  the  wagon  road  from  there  to  the  mines  is  of  easy  grade;  single 
teams  can  be  driven  to  and  from  any  part  of  them,  and  haul  6,000  pounds  at 
a  load.  Many  other  deposits  of  excellent  iron  exist  in  the  mountains  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  county. 

Sandstone  is  the  most  important  of  our  building  materials,  owing  to  its 
general  excellence  and  cheapness.  The  deposits  in  this  region  are  noteworthy 
for  their  great  depth  and  almost  uniform  quality  in  texture  and  color.  In 
texture  they  are  so  fine,  close  and  tenacious  as  to  retain  the  most  delicate 
touches  of  the  chisel,  and  can  be  turned  in  a  lathe  or  planed.  In  resistance  to 
pressure  strains  they  range  from  5,000  to  9,000  pounds  to  the  cubic  inch— a 
tenacity  only  exceeded  by  a  few  of  the  limestones,  gneiss  and  granite. 

Sandstone  is  principally  quarried  by  the  Kyune  Graystone  Company  and 
Diamond,  Kyune  and  Castle  companies.  The  red  sandstones  are  quarried  at 
the  Diamond  Quarry  near  Thistle.  The  gray  or  kyune  stone  is  found  nine 
miles  southeast  of  P.  V.  Junction  on  the  R.  G.  W.  Railway.  Two  extensive 
quarries  have  been  opened  near  P.  V.  Junction  and  the  ledge  is  apparently 
continuous  between  the  two  points.  The  sandstones  of  the  kyune  quarries 
are  of  a  bluish-gray  color,  even  texture,  fine  grain,  freedom  from  iron  and  other 
elements,  (being  ninety-six  per  cent,  pure  silica,)  freedom  from  stains  and 
seams,  regularity  of  tint  throughout  the  ledge,  (an  important  element  where 
a  large  building  would  require  the  same  tint  throughout,)  and  also  in  the  enor- 
mous blocks  that  may  be  quarried  without  a  blemish  or  a  crack  to  injure  its 
strength. 

The  above  characteristics  apply  both  to  the  grey  and  red  sandstone,  with 
the  addition  that  the  latter  has  greater  resisting  power,  due  to  the  cementing 
quality  of  the  iron  sesqui-oxide  which  it  contains,  and  which  also  imparts  the 
red  color.  In  a  commercial  sense  this  stone  is  more  valuable  than  the  grey, 
owing  to  its  comparative  rarity  in  large  masses  and  the  great  demand  for  it  by 
the  builders  throughout  the  country.  The  tendency  among  architects  today  is 
towards  liveliness  in  style  and  contrasts  in  color,  which  impels  the  use  of 
highly  tinted  materials,  if  only  in  the  trimmings,  and  our  red  sandstone  quarries 
present  every  shade,  from  pale  salmon  to  rich  purple-brown.  Large  deposits 
of  really  good  red  stone  are  rare,  most  of  the  stone  of  good  quality  being 
more  brown  than  red.  The  stone  lies  in  several  natural  cleavage  beds  from 
one  to  twenty  feet  in  thickness  and  can  be  quarried  in  blocks  of  any  size.  It 
splits  perfectly  and  regularly  in  any  direction. 

This  stone  is  largely  used  now  in  the  finest  buildings  in  the  Territory,  some 
of  the  best  buildings  in  Salt  Lake  City  being  built  entirely  of  it,  while  it  is  much 
used  for  fronts  and  trimmings  everywhere.  Its  use  has  already  spread  outside 
of  the  Territory.  The  Yesler  building,  Seattle,  H.  W.  Corbett's  Block,  Port- 
land, and  the  residence  of  Col.  D.  C.  Dodge,  Denver,  are  the  principal  foreign 
buildings. 

The  annual  productjof  the  quarries  for  1893  was  1,900  cars.  The  quarries 
employ  185  men. 

Utah  County  furnishes  most  of  the  Mexican  Onyx  shipped  from  the  Ter- 
ritory, the  principal  deposits  being  on  the  west  shore  of  Utah  Lake,  about  fifteen 
miles  from  Provo  and  the  same  distance  from  Lehi.  The  beds  were  first 
discovered  by  Professor  Cedarstrom  who  lives  near  them  and  to  whose  individ- 
ual efforts  we  are  mainly  indebted  for  its  present  development. 

Two  companies  are  now  developing  the  deposits,  and  if  they  continue  as 
well  as  the  indications  foreshadow, large  sawing  and  polishing  plants  will  be  in 
operation  in  this  vicinity  by  another  year. 


88  RESOURCES    AND    ATTRACTIONS    OF    UTAH. 

Onyx  is  also  found  in  many  places  on  the  east  side  of  Utah  Lake,  the 
deposits  being  at  about  the  same  elevation  above  the  lake  and  evidently  formed 
under  the  same  conditions.  The  Devey  and  Wadtey  claims,  near  Pleasant  Grove, 
are  a  series  of  caves  extending  over  three  miles.  These  caves  contain  onyx  of 
almost  every  variety  of  color  and  shade.  The  largest  of  these  caves  is  300  feet 
wide  and  203  feet  deep.  These  mines  are  easy  of  access  and  have  furnished 
two  carloads  of  onyx  for  the  state  capital  at  Denver. 

Asphattum — The  deposits  of  asphaltic  limestone  and  bituminous  rock  are  of 
immense  extent,  being  found  in  large  beds  over  an  extent  of  one  hundred 
square  miles  within  the  county:  and  while  these  forms  of  asphaltum  are  found 
in  many  places  in  Utah,  the  only  real  development  has  been  in  Utah  County. 
Asphaltic  limestone  and  bituminous  rock  are  largely  mined  for  paving  pur- 
poses, and  for  that  reason  have  been  fully  developed.  It  has  been  used  quite 
extensively  in  St.  Louis,  Denver  and  Salt  Lake  for  that  purpose.  Parties  con- 
nected with  the  Anheuser  Brewing  Company  of  St.  Louis,  own  one  of  the 
largest  alphaltum  mines  and  have  spent  considerable  sums  in  their  development. 
The  Wasatch  Asphaltum  Company,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  have  also  expended 
$80,000  in  developing  their  mines,  and  in  the  erection  of  plants  for  the  treatment 
of  the  rock  Their  paving  plant  in  Salt  Lake  City  is  one  of  the  largest  and 
best  in  the  United  States. 

This  company  is  engaged  in  producing  asphaltic  limestone  from  its  mines 
near  Clear  Creek  station,  on  the  line  of  the  Rio  Grande  Western  Railway,  and 
preparing  it  for  use  at  its  mills  in  Salt  Lake  City.  The  deposit  is  the  only  one 
of  its  kind  found  in  economic  quantity  in  the  United  States,  and  the  material  as 
mined  resembles  very  closely  that  from  the  Val  de  Travers,  Switzerland,  which 
for  a  whole  generation  has  been  acknowledged  the  finest  asphaltum  for  paving 
purposes  the  world  has  produced.  It  has  been  in  use  during  the  last  twenty 
years  in  Paris  and  London  and  other  large  European  cities,  and  has  stood  the 
test  of  time  and  wear  to  the  satisfaction  of  every  civil  engineer  who  has  exam- 
ined it.  The  mines  of  the  Wasatch  Asphaltum  Company  are  the  first  to  pro- 
duce for  market  a  grade  of  asphaltic  limestone  in  America  of  the  same  character 
as  those  of  Switzerland;  but  the  product  of  these  Utah  mines  runs  higher  in  its 
percentage  of  asphaltum  than  that  of  Europe.  This  company  is  undoubtedly 
offering  the  finest  asphaltic  limestone  in  the  world.  Every  citizen  of  the  United 
States  may  well  take  pride  that  America  is  now  producing  a  mineral  that  has 
hitherto  been  imported  from  Europe,  and  Utah  County  has  the  honor  of  having 
the  deposit  within  its  borders.  The  mines  being  of  great  extent,  the  quantity  is 
practically  unlimited.  Asphaltic  limestone  is  absolutely  imperishable,  as  it 
contains  no  ingredient  that  is  volatile  under  300  degrees  F.,  and  it  is  not  subject 
to  any  atmospheric  changes  Its  wearing  qualities  are  unsurpassed.  Notwith- 
standing the  high  character  of  this  paving  material,  the  Wasatch  Asphaltum 
Company  has  found  it  possible  to  produce  and  prepare  it  with  such  economy 
that  it  can  be  delivered  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  at  a  price  that  will 
justify  its  general  use.  Low  rates  of  freight  on  asphaltum  in  carload  lots 
enables  the  product  to  be  put  on  the  markets  of  the  East  at  reasonable  terms. 

Deposits  of  ozokerite  or  mineral  wax  exist  in  Utah  County,  the  principal 
development  having  been  made  by  the  New  York  Ozokerite  Company,  Mr.  R. 
J.  Kroupa,  of  Provo,  general  superintendent.  The  mines  are  on  the  line  of  the 
Rio  Grande  Western  Railway  at  Soldier  Summit,  from  which  point  shipments 
have  been  made 

Slate  is  found  in  large  quantities  in  Slate  Canyon,  two  miles  east  of  Provo. 
The  mines  are  four  miles  from  the  depot  of  both  the  R.  G.  W.  and  U.  P.  Rail- 
roads at  Provo.  Considerable  development  has  been  made,  two  mines  having 
been  opened  up,  producing  mercantile  roofing  slate.  The  mines  have  only  been 
recently  developed,  but  the  product  last  year  was  about  five  carloads  of  roofing 
material.  They  are  of  sufficient  extent  to  furnish  all  the  slate  used  in  the  West. 
All  the  development  has  been  done  by  a  few  local  men,  without  capital,  and 
has  necessarily  been  slow,  as  a  road  had  to  be  constructed  at  considerable 
expense.  This  has  been  done  and  a  good  wagon  road  now  connects  the  mines 
with  the  railroads.  The  present  capacity  of  the  quarries  is  forty  squares  of 


THE    COUNTIES    OF    UTAH.  89 

mercantile  slate  per  day.  Utah  County  has  an  exhibit  of  slate  at  the  Midwinter 
Fair.  Serpentine  is  found  between  the  upper  and  lower  slate  beds  in  Slate 
Canyon,  in  large  quantities.  The  quarries  have  not  as  yet  been  developed 
sufficiently  to  show  their  commercial  value. 

Marble  exists  at  various  points  within  the  county,  the  quality  being  superior 
to  the  Tennessee,  and  equal  to  the  best  Vermont  and  European.  The  various 
beds  furnish  all  grades  and  colors,  pure  white  and  red  in  layers,  green  and 
white  and  red  in  layers,  mottled  and  black.  The  white  and  black  are  found  in 
the  vicinity  of  Lehi,  and  the  colored  varieties  in  Spanish  Fork  Canyon,  near 
Thistle,  on  the  R.G.  W.  Railway,  at  which  point  the  beds  cover  an  area  of  forty 
acres  or  more.  The  principal  use  up  to  the  present  time  has  been  for  orna- 
ments, statuary  and  tombstones;  but  when  our  cities  can  afford  that  class  of 
building  material  it  will  be  more  extensively  used.  Marble  is  also  found  in  the 
mountains  east  of  Springville,  but  the  quarries  are  as  yet  undeveloped. 

Graphite  is  found  in  considerable  quantities  in  the  hills  on  the  east  side  ol 
Utah  Lake  valley,  from  the  north  end  ot  the  county  south  to  Spanish  Fork 
Canyon,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles.  It  is  found  principally  in  the  form  known 
as  amorphous  carbon  and  has  been  little  developed,  the  principal  uses  up  to 
the  present  time  being  for  foundry  facings,  kiln  and  furnace  linings,  and  most 
of  it  used  has  been  taken  from  the  hills  just  east  of  Provo.  When  the  iron 
interests  are  developed,  the  graphite  beds  will  be  of  great  value.  So  extensive 
are  the  deposits  in  proportion  to  the  present  demands  that  none  are  considered 
of  any  particular  value.  Everyone  goes  and  gets  what  he  wants. 

Nitre  or  Saltpetre  is  found  in  large  quantities  in  the  south  end  of  the 
county.  The  deposits  have  never  been  developed,  but  in  the  early  history  of  the 
Territory,  during  the  Indian  trouble  and  before  the  building  of  the  Pacific  Rail- 
way it  was  used  quite  extensively  in  the  manufacture  of  gunpowder.  After  that 
the  deposits  were  neglected  until  the  year  1893  when  a  number  of  claims  were 
located  and  partially  developed.  The  principal  deposits  are  located  on  Currant 
Creek  near  the  village  of  Goshen  where  they  are  easily  accessible  and  may  in 
the  near  future  furnish  employment  to  a  large  number  of  men;  as  in  spite  of 
their  long  neglect  these  deposits  should  be  among  the  most  valuable  in  the 
country.  Saltpetre  is  also  found  in  considerable  quantity  in  Spanish  Fork 
Canyon. 

Soda  is  found  in  considerable  quantities  in  an  almost  pure  state,  at  Pelican 
Point  on  the  west  shore  of  Utah  Lake,  about  fifteen  miles  from  Lehi,  where  the 
deposits  are  made  from  the  waters  of  several  springs  which  here  rise  along  the 
shore  of  the  lake.  These  deposits  have  been  known  for  a  number  of  years  and 
a  large  amount  of  soda  has  been  shipped  from  them,  though  it  is  fifteen  miles 
to  the  nearest  railroad  point.  HBASQCfOft  LJfcWB 

Granite  and  Limestone  are  found  everywhere.  Our  mountains  are  com- 
posed of  them,  and  they  are  largely  used  in  our  buildings.  The  quality  of  the 
limestones  is  far  behind  that  of  the  sandstones  for  building  purposes,  and  the 
cost  of  quarrying  and  cutting  the  granite  is  too  great  to  admit  of  their  general 
use. 

Antimony,  Cinnabar,  Sulphur,  Zinc  and  Copper  are  found  at  various  points 
within  the  county.  Some  of  them  have  been  found  in  considerable  quantities 
in  connection  with  other  minerals,  but  no  paying  mines  have  as  yet  been 
worked. 


WASATCH     COUNTY. 

The  greater  part  of  this  county  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  Territory  is 
occupied  by  the  Uintah  Indian  Reservation,  which  cuts  out  from  settlement  and 
occupation,  one  of  the  best  watered  and  fertile  regions  of  the  Territory.  Only 
a  couple  of  hundred  square  miles  have  remained  for  occupation  by  the  whites, 
and  these  are  almost  wholly  in  Provo  Valley,  a  beautiful  elevated  tract,  tra- 
versed by  the  Provo  River  and  some  of  its  important  tributaries.  From  a  scenic 


90  RESOURCES    AND    ATTRACTIONS    OF    UTAH. 

point  of  view,  Provo  Valley  is  as  grand  as  any  in  Utah,  the  Wasatch  Mountains 
with  their  snowy  peaks,  towering  along  the  western  side  of  the  vale.  Heber, 
Midway,  Charleston  and  Wallsburgh  are  the  only  towns  in  the  county,  the 
population  being  about  5,000.  Provo  Valley  is  too  high  for  fruit  raising,  but 
does  well  with  wheat,  oats  and  other  crops.  The  assessed  valuation  of  the 
county  is  $1,106,588,  but  this  is  exclusive  of  its  mining  interests,  which  are  very 
important,  as  the  county  adjoins  Summit  and  takes  in  a  portion  of  the  great 
mineral  belt  on  which  the  Ontario  and  other  famous  mines  are  located.  The 
character  of  the  ores  is  similar  to  those  of  Summit  County,  although  copper  is 
more  abundant.  Zinc-blende  and  oxides  of  zinc  are  in  vast  quantities,  mixed 
with  lead  and  silver.  Although  widely  prospected,  the  mines  have  not  been 
opened  in  Wasatch  County  to  such  extent  as  those  near  Park  City;  but  Snake 
Creek  district  has  over  200  locations,  many  of  them  patented.  A  part  of  Blue 
Ledge  district  also  lies  in  Wasatch  County,  and  this  has  over  250  locations. 
The  Park  City  mines  have  contributed  largely  to  the  support  of  the  farming 
population  of  Wasatch  County,  and  during  all  the  period  of  Park  City's  pros- 
perity, high  prices  have  been  secured  throughout  Provo  Valley  for  every  descrip- 
tion of  farming  produce,  while  many  of  its  towns-people  have  been  employed  in 
the  mountains  in  the  production  of  timber  and  other  supplies  for  the  mines. 
Some  of  the  big  cattle  owners  of  the  Territory  live  in  Wasatch  County,  and  in  the 
event  of  the  opening  up  of  the  Indian  Reservation,  this  will  prove  to  be  one  of 
the  most  important  counties  of  the  Territory.  In  the  southern  part  of  the 
county  there  is  a  region  exempt  from  the  reservation,  but  it  is  wild  and  moun- 
tainous and  consists  mostly  of  bad  lands.  Yet  h,  .e  a  variety  of  hydro-carbon 
deposits  have  been  found,  and  among  them  the  famous  mines  operated  by  the 
Salt  Lake  Gilsonite  Company,  from  which  is  produced  a  large  proportion  of 
the  gilsonite  and  pure  gum  asphaltum  of  such  value  that  it  will  bear  a  seventy- 
five  mile  wagon  haul  to  Price  Station,  and  thence  be  profitably  transported  to 
the.  ^astern  markets  for  the  manufacture  of  varnish,  and  for  other  purposes. 


WASHINGTON  COUfciT^    AND  SOUTHERN  UTAH 

A  desire  for  definite  information  relative  to  southern  Utah,  has;for  some 
time  be  en  shown,  notably  by  the  Nevada  Southern  Railway  Company,  and  the 
Salt  Lake  Chamber  of  Commerce.  To  elicit  the  desired  facts,  public  meetings 
have  been  held  in  St.  George,  the  county  seat  of  Washington  County,  and 
these  brought  about  the  organization  of  a  committee  on  statistics,  with  sub- 
committees on  agriculture,  horticulture,  stockraising,  mining,  and  on  mer- 
chandising and  freight  business;  the  sub-committees  to  report  to  the  committee 
on  statistics.  The  result  of  their  labors  so  far  is  as  follows  : 

Agriculture  and  Horticulture. — On  the  route  between  Muddy  Valley, 
Nevada  and  Cedar  City,  Utah,  there  are  twenty-one  settlements  on  the  line  of 
travel,  having  a  population  of  from  six  to  seven  thousand,  with  10,320  acres 
under  cultivation,  and  8,130  acres  being  brought  under  cultivation.  The 
cultivated  land  averages  not  less  than  twenty-five  bushels  of  grain  per  acre,  and 
in  one  settlement  the  average  yield  has  been  as  high  as  thirty-eight  bushels,  while 
alfalfa  shows  an  average  of  five  tons  per  acre.  This  estimate  does  not  include 
land  to  be  irrigated  by  prospective  reservoirs  which  will  bring  thousands  of 
acres  under  cultivation. 

Horticulture— -The  climate  and  soil  south  of  the  ''Rim  of  the  Basin"  is 
admirably  adapted  to  the  production  of  all  kinds  of  peaches,  nectarines 
almonds,  plums,  apples,  pears,  grapes,  figs,  pomegranates  and  other  fruits.  A 
large  per  cent,  of  what  is  now  produced,  however,  goes  to  waste,  for  lack  of 
transportation  facilities.  The  county  is  also  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  all 
kinds  of  early  garden  stuff,  such  as  radishes,  lettuce,  asparagus,  celery,  toma- 
toes, beans,  cucumbers,  melons,  onions  and  Irish  and  sweet  potatoes;  also 
flowers  of  the  choicest  varieties,  many  of  which  are  now  blooming  in  Decem- 


THE    COUNTIES    OF    UTAH.  91 

her.  In  the  settlements  along  the  Rio  Virgen  and  Lower  Santa  Clara  Rivers 
the  season  for  out-door  gardening  begins  in  the  latter  part  of  January,  or  the 
beginning  of  February.  The  climate  of  St.  George  and  vicinity,  with  its 
delightful  winters,  often  without  a  flake  of  snow,  except  what  can  be  seen  on 
the  distant  mountains,  is  unexceptionally  healthful. 

Stockraising . — This  industry  has  chiefly  been  considered  in  the' matter  of 
exports,  and  the  figures  given  are  for  those  parts  of  Southern  Utah, ^Northern 
Arizona  and  Southeastern  Nevada,  which  would  furnish  freight  to  a  line  pass- 
ing through  St  George.  The  report  of  1894  estimates  that  30,000  steers,  5,000 
horses,  50,000  sheep,  and  1,250,000  pounds  of  wool  have  been  exported  by  the 
railroad. 

Mining. — The  advent  of  a  railroad  to  St.  George  would  make  Southern 
Utah  one  of  the  richest  sections  in  this  inter -mountain  country.  There  is  an 
abundance  of  coal,  iron,  copper,  gold,  silver  and  lead  ores,  sulphur,  ochre, 
alum,  gypsum,  mineral  wax,  and  many  other  minerals,  but  the  lack  of  cheap 
transportation  makes  it  almost  impossible  to  develop  these  prospects.  Valua- 
ble properties  that  would  yield  millions  if  they  could  be  properly  worked  are 
now  lying  idle.  In  Washington  County  497  mining  locations  have  been 
recorded.  Silver  Reef,  the  great  southern  camp  has  been  one  of  the  greatest 
mining  agents  toward  the  building  up  of  Southern  Utah,  but  for  the  last  few 
years  it  has  been  quiet,  and  there  is  little  hope  for  much  progress  unless  silver 
becomes  more  valuable  and  easy  transportation  is  accomplished.  All  the  work 
done  there  now  is  by  Chloriders.  There  are  eiillions  yet  lying  in  the  white 
sandstone  of  that  region,  and  the  Bull  Valley  Mining  District  contains  vast  bodies 
of  low  grade  ore,  gold,  silver,  lead,  iron  and  copper,  which  cannot  be  worked 
with  profit  at  present,  because  of  freight  rates  and  long  hauls.  A  large  amount 
of  prospecting  has  been  done,  but  work  has  been  temporarily  abandoned  on 
account  of  so  many  difficulties.  In  the  event  of  a  railroad  being  built  this  Bull 
Valley  country  would  become  one  of  the  largest  mining  camps  in  the  West. 
In  Tutsegavit  Mining  District,  eighteen  miles  from  St.  George,  are  a  large 
number  of  mining  prospects  owned  and  operated  by  the  Dixie  Mining  and 
Smelting  Company.  The  Apex  and  Morning  Star,  two  of  this  group,  are  best 
described  by  a  quotation  from  a  report  made  by  Mr.  T.  C.  Williams,  an  expert 
sent  out  by  an  English  company  to  negotiate  ior  the  purchase  of  the  property. 
He  says:  "I  consider  from  my  examination  of  the  mines  that  there  are  fully 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand,  and  probably  two  hundred  thousand  tons  of 
ore  in  place  at  present,  that  will  yield  a  net  profit  of  not  less  than  ten  dollars, 
and  probably  more,  per  ton,  basing  the  calculation  upon  the  present  methods 
employed  in  mining  and  marketing  the  produrt  of  the  mine.  I  further  believe 
that  the  mine  at  this  writing  is  in  shape  to  put  out  from  sixty  to  one  hundred 
tons  per  day  of  ore  that  will  yield  the  above  named  profit  of  ten  dollars 
per  ton." 

Situated  about  one  mile  west  of  the  Dixie  group  and  in  the  same  chain  of 
mountains,  is  the  Mammoth  Mine  in  which  was  struck  a  large  cave  filled  with 
high  grade  carbonate  ore,  carrying  from  twelve  to  twenty-five  ounces  of  silver. 

The  Mountain  Chief  Mining  Company,  some  years  ago,  ran  a  tunnel  over 
one  hundred  feet  in  the  Black  Warrior  Mine  and  struck  a  large  body  of  carbon- 
ate of  lead  and  silver.  The  company  erected  a  smelter  on  the  Santa  Clara 
River,  but  high  freight  and  long  hauls  ate  up  the  proceeds  and  this  property  is 
not  being  worked  at  present.  The  St.  George  Mining  Company,  owns  several 
fine  prospects  near  the  Dixie  group  and  Mammoth  claims,  doubtless  of  equal 
value  to  the  one  referred  to  by  Mr.  Williams. 

The  Adams  Lode  in  Bentley  Mining  District,  about  45  miles  from  St. 
George,  is  owned  by  the  Grand  Gulch  Mining  Co.  From  this  property  about 
three  hundred  tons  of  ninety  per  cent,  copper  has  been  made  and  snipped,  but 
again  the  long  haul  by  wagon  to  the  railroad  has  killed  the  enterprise.  The  mine, 
however,  is  an  immense  deposit,  with  ore  all  over  the  surface.  Ores  will  aver- 
age forty  per  cent,  copper  with  twenty-five  ounces  of  silver  to  the  ton  of  copper, 
and  many  thousands  of  tons  can  be  mined  in  open  works,  like  quarrying  stone 
for  building  purposes.  Five  miles  east  of  this  claim  is  the  Savannic  Mine,. 


92  RESOURCES    AND    ATTRACTIONS    OF    UTAH. 

another  large  body  of  the  finest  copper  ore.  Near  this  property  is  the  Cunning- 
ham Mine,  which  resembles  the  other  two  claims,  and  will  be  a  great  yielder 
when  easy  transportation  is  established.  Any  of  these  last  named  mines  would 
bear  a  fifty-mile  wagon  haul.  It  was  considered  useless  to  put  up  works  or 
spend  much  money  on  the  Savannic  or  Cunningham  mines,  as  the  long  wagon 
haul  to  the  distant  railroad  made  any  attempt  toward  financial  success 
impossible. 

Situated  about  25  miles  east  of  the  Grand  Gulch  property  is  the  Copper 
Mountain  Mining  District,  from  which  nearly  fifty  tons  of  copper  bullion  have 
been  obtained;  but  the  same  complaint  of  long  hauls  and  a  decline  in  the  price 
of  the  product  has  caused  the  abandonment  of  the  effort.  There  are  immense 
deposits  of  ore  in  the  Red  Bud  and  Red  Cloud  claims,  which  are  located  some 
25  miles  from  St.  George,  and  ten  miles  nearer  the  city  in  the  Bentley  District, 
is  the  Lynx  or  Hoot  Owl  Mine,  which,  though  it  has  been  worked  but  little,yields 
ore  which  is  fifteen  to  forty  per  cent  copper. 

Upon  the  same  road  and  from  twelve  to  twenty  miles  from  St.  George,  is 
situated  some  of  the  largest  bodies  of  gypsum  known.  The  deposit  is  filty  or 
more  feet  in  thickness,  and  miles  in  length,  is  of  the  clearest  and  finest  quality, 
and  is  so  sound  that  it  can  be  used  for  alabaster. 

Northwest  of  St.  George,  at  a  distance  of  about  twenty  miles,  is  a  ledge  of 
iron  ore  twenty  feet  thick,  running  for  miles;  and  near  this  are  a  number  of 
antimony  ledges  of  immense  quantity  and  excellent  quality. 

Notwithstanding  the  difficulties  of  transportation,  the  Dixie  Mining  and 
Smelting  Company  have  shipped  327,111  pounds  of  copper  ore  to  the  railroad  at 
Milford  115  miles  from  St.  George;  also  101,722  pounds  of  copper  matte,  and 
1,523  666  pounds  of  copper  bullion,  smelted  at  St.  George  with  coke  shipped  in 
from  Colorado.  The  copper  as  well  as  the  silver  lead  ores  of  this  section,  are 
principally  carbonate  and  are  in  great  demand  at  all  smelters  for  fluxing 
purposes. 

Mercantile  business. — In  the  event  of  a  railroad  passing  through  St.  George, 
the  following  other  cities,  towns  and  villages  would  receive  and  ship  freight  by 
it.  Washington,  Price,  Santa  Clara,  Pine  Valley,  Gunlock.  Leeds,  Harrisburg, 
Toquerville,  Virgen  City,  Silver  Reef,  Duncan,  Grafton,  Rockville,  Spring  Dale, 
Shonesburg,  Kanab,  Orderville,  Mount  Carmel,  Glendale,  Upper  Kanab,  John- 
son and  Fredonia.  A  careful  estimate  shows  that  the  merchants  of  these 
towns  have  shipped  by  the  Union  Pacific  and  Denver  and  Rio  Grande  Railroads 
for  the  year  1892  about  twelve  million  pounds  and  have  paid  for  freight  about 
$  120,000.00,  in  addition  to  an  amount  equally  as  large  paid  for  team  freight  to 
and  from  the  terminus  at  Milford.  It  is  but  fair  to  presume  that  freight  business 
would  be  immensely  increased  by  railroad  facilities,  and  the  consequent 
development  of  the  resources  of  this  region. 


WAYNE  COUNTY. 

This  county  is  situated  in  central  southern  Utah;  watered  by  the  Fremont 
River.  It  was  the  last  county  to  be  created  in  the  Territory.  About  1 0,000 
acres  are  under  cultivation,  but  this  can  be  doubled  by  taking  advantage  of 
the  opportunities  for  water  that  exist.  Much  tillable  land  is  open  for  settle- 
ment, and  cultivated  farms  with  water-right  and  title  can  be  had  at  present,  at 
from  $80  to  $20  per  acre.  Although  settlement  was  recent,  a  great  variety  of 
products  have  been  developed.  Of  the  leading  farming  crops  are  sheep,  wool, 
lumber,  orchard  products,  etc.  Oats  yield  sixty  bushels  to  the  acre,  wheat  fifty 
bushels,  potatoes  650  bushels,  and  hay  six  tons  to  the  acre.  Mineral  resources 
are  varied;  gold,  silver  and  copper,  great  deposits  of  pure  gypsum,  sulphur 
and  bituminous  shale,  while  stone  coal  is  found  in  a  number  of  localities  in 
different  parts  of  the  county.  It  is  a  fine  place  for  fishing  and  hunting;  the 
climate  is  delightful,  the  winters  mild  and  summers  cool.  It  is  an  ideal  fruit 


THE    COUNTIES    OF    UTAH.  93 

country.  They  already  have  lumber  and  flour  mills,  with  plenty  of  timber  in  the 
mountains,  cedar  and  pine.  The  population  is  only  about  1000,  but  is  rapidly 
increasing. 

WEBER  COUNTY. 

This  county,  the  r>econd  in  wealth  and  population  in  Utah,  contains  500 
square  miles,  and  is  diversified  by  mountain  and  valley,  affording  fine  grazing 
land  for  horses,  cattle  and  sheep  in  the  mountain  districts,  and  the  valley  lands 
are  the  richest  in  Utah,  comprising  as  they  do  almost  200  square  miles  of  Great 
Salt  Lake  Valley,  lying  between  the  Wasatch  Mountains  and  the  shore  of 
Great  Salt  Lake  and  watered  by  canals  taken  out  from  Ogden  and  Weber 
Rivers,  and  other  canals  supplied  from  the  springs  rising  in  the  valley.  East  of 
the  Wasatch  Range,  and  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  lies  Ogden  Valley, 
six  miles  wide  and  twelve  miles  long,  rich  and  fertile,  but  as  it  is  much  higher 
than  Salt  Lake  Valley,  therefore  not  so  well  adapted  to  the  raising  of  fruit. 
The  natural  wealth  of  Weber  County  may  be  divided  up  as  follows:  agriculture, 
horticulture,  grazing  or  stock-raising,  mines  and  mining,  and  great  natural 
advantages  of  water  power  and  favorable  location  for  manufacture. 

In  agriculture  there  has  been  uninterrupted  success  for  forty  years  in  the 
production  of  wheat,  rye,  oats,  barley,  corn,  potatoes,  cabbage,  turnips,  sugar 
beets,  carrots,  mangel-wurzel,  sugar  cane,  celery,  onions,  tomatoes,  cucumbers 
and  every  other  product  of  the  field  or  garden.  Flax,  hemp,  timothy  hay,  blue 
grass,  lucerne,  red  top  and  clover  thrive  as  in  few  places  on  the  earth. 

Fruits. — All  that  the  temperate  regions  of  the  earth  produce  thrive  here — 
apples,  peaches,  plums,  greengages,  prunes,  apricots,  Siberian  crab  apples, 
cherries,  currants,  pears,  quinces,  grapes  of  many  kinds,  strawberries,  black- 
berries, gooseberries,  all  of  excellent  quality,  and  from  the  above  fruits  the 
revenue  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  county  is  immense  every  year.  There  lies  a 
great  future  for  the  county  in  the  production  of  fruit.  The  proper  attention 
has  not  been  given  to  it  of  late  years,  otherwise  the  income  would  be  about 
five-fold  what  it  is  at  present.  In  the  production  of  prunes  alone  there  is  no 
part  of  the  United  States  better  adapted  to  the  growth  of  them  than  along  the 
bench  lands  that  skirt  the  Wasatch  Mountains.  The  long,  dry  and -warm 
season,  with  a  clear  sky  throughout  the  entire  summer,  is  well  adapted  to  the 
proper  curing  of  the  prune,  and  at  present  20,000  acres  might  be  taken  up  and 
devoted  to  the  production  of  this  fruit.  It  would  find  a  ready  market  north  and 
east.  The  cultivation  of  the  pear,  apple,  peach,  cherry  and  apricot  is  carried 
on,  and  these  fruits  can  be  produced  here  in  greater  quantity  per  tree  than  any- 
where in  the  inter-mountain  region,  and  the  number  of  railroads  centering  at 
Ogden,  always  will  ensure  a  good  market  for  such  fruits. 

Grazing. — A  great  part  of  the  area  of  Weber  County  is  devoted  to  grazing 
horses,  cattle  and  sheep.  A  rich  bunch  grass  covers  the  sides  of  the  high 
mountains  and  waste  lands  of  the  valleys,  and  on  this  the  stockman's  herds 
fatten  throughout  the  year.  The  beef  and  mutton  they  produce  are  of  the  best 
and  the  wool  clip  from  the  vast  flocks  of  sheep  is  immense.  Cattle,  hogs, 
horses,  sheep  and  goats  are  abundant.  The  value  of  these  in  Weber  County 
reaches  millions  of  dollars  at  present,  and  there  is  much  land  yet  that  may  be 
made  profitable  by  placing  new  herds  thereon. 

Mines  and  Mining. — The  attention  of  the  inhabitants  has  not  been  turned 
to  the  development  of  mines  in  this  county  as  in  other  counties  farther  south, 
still  the  mineral  wealth  of  Weber  County  is  great.  Gold,  silver,  lead,  copper 
and  zinc  ore  found  in  the  Wasatch  Mountains  east  of  Ogden,  and  iron  is  found 
in  immense  quantities  at  many  places  near  Ogden.  It  is  of  the  most  superior 
quality;  consisting  of  limonite,  hematite,  specular,  magnetic  and  chromictery  of 
iron  equal  to  any  found  in  the  world,  and  in  quantity  they  are  practically  inex- 
haustible. Some  years  since,  at  Ogden,  works  were  established,  and  iron  of  the 
most  superior  brand  was  produced.  As  there  is  excellent  limestone  for 
fluxing,  these  are  advantages  which  in  the  near  future  insure  the  erection  in  the 


54  RESOURCES    AND    ATTRACTIONS    OF    UTAH 

county  of  extensive  iron  works  and  rolling  mills  for  the  production  of  steel 
rails  and  boiler  plate.  Along  the  shores  of  the  lake  soda  is  abundant,  and 
from  the  saline  waters  of  the  lake  millions  of  tons  of  salt  may  be  produced 
annually.  Saltpetre  or  nitrate  of  potash  is  abundant  on  the  south  fork  of 
Ogden  River.  It  is  in  a  very  pure  state  and  much  of  it  ready  to  use  in  the 
manufacture  of  gun  powder. 

Alum  and  Aluminum  clays  are  found  in  immense  quantities.  East  of  Hot 
Springs,  north  of  Ogden,  and  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  there  are 
various  measures  of  superior  coal.  Potters'  clay  of  unsurpassed  fineness  is 
found  in  a  stratum  thirty  feet  thick,  underlying  the  city  of  Ogden,  and  glass 
sand  unequalled  in  America  is  found  in  vast  beds  west  of  Ogden. 

Natural  Gas  is  found  by  sinking  at  almost  any  point  between  the  city  of 
Ogden,  and  the  shores  of  Salt  Lake. 

Slate,  the  like  of  which  is  found  nowhere  else  west  of  Pennsylvania,  is 
found  in  Taylor's  Canyon.  Granite,  limestone,  jasper,  sandstone,  oolitic  lime- 
stone and  soapstone,  are  found  in  quantities  sufficient  for  any  of  the  wants  of 
man.  Mica  abounds  in  the  hills  east  of  Ogden,  and  a  precious  serpentine 
exists  in  Ogden  Valley. 

Population — The  population  of  Weber  County  numbers  35,000  souls.  Of 
these  22,500  live  in  the  city  of  Ogden,  The  rest  are  distributed  over  the  vast 
area  of  farming  and  grazing  lands  and  also  in  Plain  City,  Hooper,  Eden,  Hunts- 
ville,  Liberty,  Harrisville,  Marriotsville,  North  O^den,  Uintah  and  Riverdale. 
Ogden,  the  county  seat  of  Weber  County,  Utah,  is  situated  at  the  west  base  of 
Wasatch  Mountains,  and  from  the  beautiful  slope  on  which  it  rests,  it  overlooks 
Great  Salt  Lake  and  its  many  islands.  With  a  thrifty  population  22,500  souls 
and  with  paved  streets,  electric  street-car  lines,  perfect  sewerage,  superior  water 
supply  and  an  excellent  climate,  it  is  at  once  the  Mecca  of  the  man  who  wants 
a  home  and  happy  bourne  of  him  who  seeks  for  health. 

Ogden  is  the  greatest  railroad  center  at  present  west  of  Chicago.  The 
Union  Pacific,  Utah  Northern,  Central  Pacific,  Utah  Southern,  Rio  Grande 
Western  railroads,  the  Ogden  and  Park  City  Railway  and  the  Ogden  and  Hot 
Springs  Road  all  center  here.  The  grand  union  passenger  depot  receives  the 
travel  and  traffic  of  these  roads  and  is  the  handsomest  building  of  its  kind  west 
of  Chicago.  On  the  first  day  of  the  present  year  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad 
Company  opened  its  magnificent  new  machine  repair  and  car  shops  in  Ogden 
and  these  are  to  be  increased  by  the  addition  of  roller  mills  in  the  near  future. 
•Others  of  the  railroads  here  now  are  preparing  for  the  erection  of  equally  fine 
shops.  The  Chicago  and  Northwestern  Railroad  now  at  Fort  Casper  is  going 
to  make  Ogden  its  next  objective  point  and  at  this  point  it  will  erect  its  machine 
and  repair  shops.  The  railroad  now  being  built  from  Blake,  California,  on  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific,  will  make  Ogden  its  northern  terminus.  Thus  we  see  the 
natural  center  occupied  by  this  city. 

Its  site  is  a  beautiful  one.  It  is  watered  by  the  Ogden  and  Weber  rivers 
that  flow  through  the  city,  the  pure,  crystal,  cold  waters  of  which  take  their 
birth  in  the  virgin  snows  that  crown  the  high  peaks  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains. 
The  water  supply  is  inexhaustible  and  ample  for  a  population  of  200,000  souls. 
The  system  of  supply  is  by  a  gravity  fall  of  200  feet,  rendering  it  thereby 
inexpensive  and  perfect.  Along  with  this  water  system  owned  by  the  Bear 
River  Canal  and  Irrigation  Company,  there  exists  a  water  recourse  known  as 
the  Bench  Canal,  carrying  sufficient  water  for  a  possible  increase  of  200,000 
inhabitants.  The  situation  of  Ogden  is  a  most  beautiful  one,  the  high  peaks, 
clad  with  perpetual  snow,  above  it,  and  to  the  west  the  great  Salt  Lake  Valley 
and  broad  expanse  of  the  lake  and  its  many  islands.  The  climate  is  bracing 
and  healthful,  and  added  to  this  the  Utah  Hot  Springs,  a  few  miles  north  of  the 
city,  constitute  the  best  Sanitarium  in  Utah. 

The  city  is  well  built — there  are  private  residences  that  would  be  an  orna- 
ment to  New  York  City.  Fine  churches  owned  by  Mormons,  Methodists, 
Catholics,  Baptists,  Episcopals,  Unitarians  and  Agnostics.  There  are  fine 
denominational  schools,  a  convent  school  under  the  care  of  the  Sisters  of  the 
Holy  Cross.  The  building  costing  almost  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars. 


The  public  school  system  is  perfect,  and  the  school  houses  are  of  a  style  of 
architecture  equal  to  those  of  any  city  west  of  Chicago  The  school  attend- 
ance is  large,  and  the  results  of  educational  work  are  most  creditable  to  the 
Board  of  Education. 

There  are  six  banks,  each  doing  a  good  business,  and  the  departments  of 
trade  are  each  and  every  one  prosperous.  In  manufactures  and  industries,  there 
are  fruit  canneries,  pickling  works,  soap  factories,  flour  mills,  slaughtering 
establishments,  a  brick  manufactory,  founderies  and  bottling  works.  There  is 
also  an  armory,  the  products  and  inventions  of  which  reach  into  almost  every 
country  of  the  world. 

One  of  the  great  forces  destined  to  work  for  Ogden's  future  greatness  is 
the  tremendous  water  power  afforded  by  the  two  rivers,  the  Weber  and  the 
Ogden.  From  these  two  streams  21,000  horse  power  may  be  produced, 
destined  to  supply  heat,  light  and  motive  power  far  every  class  of  machinery 
for  centuries  to  come. 

As  to  history,  Weber  County  may  claim  much  that  Is  interesting  to  the 
historian  and  the  archaeologist.  Within  her  confines  we  find  remains  of  the 
ancient  race  that  antedates  the  Indian  braves.  Their  mounds  and-writings  are 
found  along  Ogden  River,  and  near  the  towns.  On  Fremont  Island,  in  Salt 
Lake,  but  within  the  line  of  the  county,  General  Fremont  discovered  on  his 
first  expedition  in  the  year  1843,  at  the  north  end  of  the  island  bearing  his  name, 
a  cross  and  the  date  1593,  which  proves  that  the  early  Spaniards  under  either 
Coronado  or  Cabesa  de  Vacca  visited  this  region  on  a  journey  of  explora- 
on  and  discovery.  During  the  last  century,  the  site  of  Ogden  was  the  trading 


93  RESOURCES    AND    ATTRACTIONS    OF    UTAH. 

ground  of  the  Spanish  and  French  troopers,  and  the  agents  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company  opened  a  post  near  the  present  forks  of  Ogden  and  Weber 
Rivers.  The  interests  of  this  post  were  watched  over  by  one,  John  Ogden,  after 
whom  the  mountain  overhanging  the  present  city,  the  river  and  the  valley 
above  are  named.  This  was  about  the  year  1785  or  1790,  and  for  many  years 
after  this  man  traded  with  the  Shoshone,  Bannock  and  Ute  Indians  of  these 
regions. 

In  and  along  both  rivers  and  by  the  mountain  streams  flowing  into  the 
lake,  beaver  and  other  fur-bearing  animals  were  abundant.  These  afforded, 
for  fifty  years,  a  rich  hunting  ground  to  the  troopers  of  the  various  companies 
whose  partisans  rambled  over  these  regions. 

In  1833  a  band  of  troopers  belonging  to  the  American  Fur  Company 
visited  this  region.  They  were  part  of  the  expedition  commanded  by  Captain 
Bonneville  then  on  his  way  to  the  northwest  coast  of  Oregon.  Captain 
Bonneville  remained  at  Soda  Springs  in  Idaho,  and  sent  forward  this  smaller 
expedition  to  go  overland  to  Monterey  on  the  coast  of  California  for  the  pur- 
pose of  exploration,  and  also  to  sell  goods  to  the  Spaniards.  The  Monterey 
expedition  fared  well  enough  until  they  reached  the  present  site  of  Ogden 
City,  where  they  encountered  a  band  of  Goshoot  Indians,  and  a  difficulty 
arose  about  a  gun  which  (had  been  stolen  by  the  Indians  from  the  troopers' 
camp.  A  fight  ensued  which  ended  in  a  total  massacre  of  the  entire  Indian 
village,  old  and  young,  to  the  number  of  about  forty  persons.  This  massacre 
took  place,  it  is  supposed,  about  where  the  Reform  School  now  stands,  in  the 
northeastern  part  of  Ogden  City.  The  white  troopers  passed  on,  reaching 
Monterey  and*  returned  in  safety. 

The  next  white  man  of  whom  we  learn  as  holding  power  here  was  one,  Mr. 
Goodyear,  who  took  possession  of  the  abandoned  post  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company.  He  held  possession  here  when  the  Mormons  came  in  1847,  and  sold 
what  now  constitutes  almost  the  entire  area  of  Weber  County  for  the  sum  of  $1800 
to  a  Mr.  William  Brown  who  purchased  the  district  for  a  Mormon  colony,  and 
as  such  it  became  at  once  a  conspicuous  little  place.  A  mud  wall  six  feet  high 
was  reared  around  a  square  that  was  a  mile  on  each  side,  and  for  twenty  years 
the  little  hamlet  was  an  isolated  spot  through  which  the  trains  of  emigrants  on 
their  way  to  Oregon  or  California  passed  and  broke  the  dull  monotony  of  peace- 
ful life.  The  city  wall  has  long  since  disappeared. 

In  the  year  1868,  when  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  came  into  Utah,  it 
reached  Ogden,  and  being  thus  left  on  the  great  highway  of  nations,  the  city's 
future  became  certain  and  its  destiny  assured.  Since  then  its  progress  has  been 
regular;  and  from  a  small  adobe  village  of  500  souls,  it  has  reached  the  position 
of  second  city  in  Utah,'  -~-^.  I 

In  all  its  past  history  there  was  but  one  fatal  error  committed  by  its  people, 
and  that  was  that  they  did  not  reach  out  after  and  hold  a  part  of  the  mining 
trade  and  reduction  of  ores  from  the  mines  of  the  south  and  west.  This,  how- 
ever, her  people  hope  to  gain  in  the  future,  and  as  Ogden  now  stands  her 
prospects  are  of  the  brightest.  Her  people  are  progressive,  intelligent  and 
determined.  In  the  face  of  the  present  black  cloud  that  hangs  over  the 
business  of  the  world,  her  people  have  pushed  ahead,  believing  in  the  future  of 
their  city,  and  when  prosperity  returns  to  our  nation  and  the  blessing  of  self- 
government  rests  upon  Utah,  Ogden  will  be  one  of  the  brightest  stars  in  Utah's 
crown. 


